


What's New, Pussycat?

by Lucyndareads



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AND THEY WILL BE SEXY TAGS, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cat Levi, Intercrural Sex, M/M, Sexual Content, Shapeshifting, Supernatural Elements, ereri, more tags to be added later, there is gonna be some sex cause iM TRASH
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-13
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-02-04 13:47:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1781266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucyndareads/pseuds/Lucyndareads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apparently Eren is now living with a neurotic, possessive, clean freak, shapeshifting cat man. </p><p>Kinky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, the neko!Levi fic that will send me straight to hell!!!
> 
> So this is a fic I have been working on for... jeez... three months now? I wanted to finish it completely before I published it, but lately there's been a lot of buzz about cat!Levi and I wanted to publish it before it went out of style. So although it isn't completely done, I have about 5,000 words left! There will be no delays in this fic. It will be published every Friday, and will have about 10-15 chapters. However, I am still open to suggestions on what to add!
> 
> Many thanks to my not-so-secret love [Gwen](http://armlnarlert.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing! 
> 
> Now, without further ado, please enjoy my weird fetish fic :)

"Eren, your cat is a fucking psychopath," Mikasa says, as she watches Levi make himself comfortable in Eren's lap.

"Mikasa!" Eren reprimands, "He is _not_ a psychopath. He just takes a while to warm up to people. Right, Levi?" he coos, giving the cat a nice scratch on the neck. Levi purrs in reply, nuzzling Eren's hand in utter satisfaction.

"Eren, with all due respect, Levi doesn't 'warm up' to people," Armin points out. "If he doesn't like someone, he never likes them. And even if he _does_ like someone, he still might scratch them anyway."

Eren sighs. "I know, but… he's such a sweet guy, for me. I wish he got along with you guys, and everyone else." He scratches under Levi's chin, and the purring grows louder.

Mikasa lets out a huff of breath. "I swear to god, that cat is _smirking_ at me right now. And when it's not smirking, it's glaring. I think it knows I don't like it!"

"Mikasa, that's crazy," says Eren.

"Well, she's had to start putting her shoes on the highest shelf in the closet, because Levi keeps peeing on them," Armin points out, "And that's the only time he does that."

"He probably senses that she feels animosity towards him!" Eren protests. "Cats are highly attuned to human emotions."

"It's not just that," Mikasa says, "He doesn't just dislike me. He also doesn't like it when I go near you!"

"I think you're imagining-" Eren begins.

"Oh yeah?" Mikasa interrupts, "Watch."

She stands, and walks toward Eren. The cat's eyes follow her every move. When she reaches Eren, she reaches out a hand to grab his shoulder. But before she can the cat hisses. Levi's demeanor switches rapidly from pleased to pissed, and he darts out a paw in an attempt to scratch her. Luckily for her, she dodges it. "You see?" she demands. "It doesn't even want me to _touch_ you!"

"No, it's not like that," Eren says soothingly, "He just doesn't want me to get distracted from petting him. Watch."

Eren takes his hand off the cat, who immediately lets out a protested meow. "Levi," Eren says firmly, "I'm taking a break from petting you right now, alright? I'm spending some time with my best friends."

The cat looks at him for a second. Then he lets out a disgruntled rumble and gracefully hops off Eren's lap, disappearing with a swish of a white-tipped tail into Eren's bedroom.

There's a short silence.

"I don't know what's more weird, the fact that you speak to your cat or the fact that your cat seems to understand you," mutters Armin.

Mikasa shakes her head. "That cat is not normal."

"And I still can't believe you got a _cat_ ," Armin says. "You were always such a dog person…"

"Ok, can we talk about something other than Levi?" Eren says in annoyance. "I love Levi. I'm not giving him away. I found him on the street, so he probably had a really difficult life. Of course he's suspicious and distrusting! He still deserves a home and someone to take care of him, right?"

Armin and Mikasa glance at each other. "Ok, Eren, you're right," Armin replies, "We'll stop insulting your cat."

"Wanna watch a movie or something?" Mikasa asks.

Eren smiles. He wishes his friends could like his cat, but at least they understand why he wouldn't give Levi away.

It's true that if someone were to ask him what animal he prefers, he'd say dogs, hands down. He's always liked cats, but from a distance, as he's gotten scratched by them more than once.

However, when he passed by the small black cat lying in an alley on his way to grad school on that cold day in early December, he had to stop. The poor thing looked a few minutes away from death. He was skinny enough for Eren to see his ribs, coated in garbage and fleas, and shivering with cold. Without thinking too much about it, Eren took off his jacket and scooped the cat up, calling in sick to work so he could take him to the vet.

It was touch-and-go for a while. Eren had to feed the little cat with an eyedropper full of milk, give him a special heating blanket to sleep on, and force medicine down his throat, but he made a full recovery.

Once he was sure the cat was going to live, Eren immediately started thinking of names, but he drew a blank. Until one day, when the cat was running around with a paper in its mouth. When Eren took the paper, he saw it was part of a newspaper ad for Levi's jeans, with everything scratched out but the letters L E V I. It seemed to fit, and when Eren called for Levi, the cat responded.

And ever since then, they've been inseparable. Levi is a beautiful petite cat, with a sleek black coat, a white chest and a white-tipped tail, and sharp blue-grey eyes. He's smart as a whip, and wonderful company.

Eren thought that maybe Levi's ambivalence towards other people would cool off after a while, but no luck. The only time he's enjoyed the cat's dislike of people is when Jean "Horseface" Kirshtein came over and tried to pull Levi's tail as a joke. Jean still has the scar on his arm.

And yeah, Eren knows his cat is a bit different than other cats. More of a clean freak, for one. He's the only cat Eren's ever known that genuinely loves water, and loves getting weekly baths. When Eren watches tv, Levi almost seems to watch along with him. When they're cuddling before bed, Levi will often burrow under Eren's arm, as if asking for Eren to wrap an arm over him.

And Levi has a short temper and a long memory. If Eren doesn't give him enough food, or messes up his weekly bath, or accidentally steps on his tail, Levi is vicious with his claws. Then he'll actually sulk, curl up in a corner, and ignore Eren for hours.

But all of these quirks make Levi Levi, and Eren wouldn't have him any other way.

 

* * *

 

It's a warm Sunday in mid-May. Finals have just ended the week before, and Eren is absolutely loving his new freedom, even if his summer job of waiting tables starts tomorrow. He wakes up at twelve, plays Skyrim until two, and goes out to get lunch. Halfway to his favorite deli, however, he decides to finish the leftovers from last night's dinner instead, so he heads back home earlier than planned.

Getting back to his apartment, Eren twists his key in the lock, opens the door and throws his bag on the floor. The moment he looks up at the interior of his apartment, he nearly shouts in surprise.

There's a strange man sitting on his couch. A strange man watching Downton Abbey on his couch. A strange _naked_  man watching Downton Abbey on his couch.

"What the _fuck_?" Eren blurts.

The man makes a weird yowling noise and leaps to his feet, turning to face Eren. "What are you doing home so early? I thought you were getting lunch!" he demands.

"Oh, I decided I wanted to finish the leftovers inst-" Eren breaks off his sentence and shakes his head in bemusement. "Wait, why am I explaining myself to the strange naked man standing in my apartment? What the hell are you doing? Get out!" He steps forward as if to force the man out, but hesitates, because the guy is freaking naked. Instead, he grabs the television's remote control, switching off the television just as Maggie Smith is about to say something British and sardonic.

The naked man isn't a shockingly terrible guy or anything. There's nothing weird about his actual appearance, except for his height, which is decidedly shorter than the average man. His skin is quite pale, with some small scars and markings, and he's got an impressive amount of muscle. He's got sleek black hair in an undercut. His lips are thin, and he's got a ski-jump nose. His eyes are thin and a sharp blue-grey, with bags underneath that make it look as if he hasn't slept right in months. The overall affect is somewhat pleasant, and Eren might have thought him attractive if the man wasn't a buck-ass naked stranger in his living room.

The naked man in question is holding up his hands in protest. "Wait," he says hurriedly, "Wait, just listen for a second? I can explain."

"I'm not listening to any explanations coming from a strange naked guy in my goddamn apartment!" yells Eren. "Now get OUT!"

"Just give me just five fuckin' minutes to explain!" the man says rudely.

Eren pauses. He can't believe he's actually considering giving this guy a break, but… he just looks so desperate, standing there naked with his hands up. "Ok. First things first." He walks over to his closet and grabs an old ratty sheet crumpled in the corner of his closet. He throws it over in the direction of the man, who catches it, dumbfounded. "For the love of God, cover yourself up. I can't believe I'm doing this, but you have _exactly_ five minutes," he snaps.

The man quickly wraps the sheet messily around himself. "Thank you. Ok. So… I'm not really sure how exactly to put this…"

"Well, you better hurry the fuck up," says Eren.

"Ok, so, the thing is…" The man takes a deep breath. "I'm your cat."

Eren blinks. "What," he says flatly.

"I'm your cat! I'm Levi," insists the man.

There's a pause. Eren pinches himself. It hurts. "How do you know my cat's name?" he finally asks. "Did you take my cat?" He scans the apartment, but the little cat is nowhere to be seen. "Levi! Levi, come here, boy!" he calls.

The man steps closer to him. "Levi's not going to come, because I _am_ Levi! I'm not lying, and I'm not fucking crazy!"

"Levi!" Eren calls, ignoring the man. He's panicking now. Not only is there a crazy naked man in his apartment, but his cat is missing. "Did you take my cat, you sick fuck?" he says accusingly.

The man growls low in his throat. "No, you dumb brat. I am your fucking cat!"

"Ok!" Eren says exasperatedly, throwing his hands in the air. "Alright, let's ignore the laws of reason and say that you're my cat. Prove it, then!" The sooner he gets this guy to admit he's a freak and leave, the sooner he can look for Levi.

"Fine!" snaps the man. "Just watch me."

And before Eren's very eyes, the man begins to shrink. Dark fur grows on his pale skin, his pupils swell, and two little mounds burst out of his black hair. He stoops down on all fours, and before another second can go by, Eren is staring at his familiar little cat.

He looks at the cat. He pinches himself again. It still hurts. "L-levi?" he stutters, crouching down to get on the cat's level.

The cat regards him with an expression that screams _I told you so_ , and dips its head down and then back up again, in what Eren realizes is an affirming nod, a human gesture.

Then, as quick as he transformed, Levi becomes a man again, naked and crouching on the ground. The sudden morphing startles Eren, and he falls out of his crouch and onto his ass, a choked yelp escaping his throat.  
  
Levi snickers as he gets to his feet, rubbing his knees gingerly. "I'm not going to say I told you so…" He turns and bends over to pick up the sheet, and Eren, still sitting on the ground, is unfortunately at the perfect angle to receive a grave reminder that he never got Levi neutered.

"Christ," he says, covering his eyes, "Ok, you're my cat, but why do you have to be naked?"

"Well sorry, Eren, I can't exactly find magic clothes that disappear when I shift," says Levi sarcastically.

Eren sighs. "Ok. Well. Let's get back to the main problem here, which is _why the fuck can my cat turn into a person_?"

"Oi," Levi says, in an annoyed tone of voice, "I'm not a cat who can turn into a person. I'm a shapeshifter."

"…Alright," Eren replies with a hysterical giggle, "You're a 'shapeshifter'. Can I ask what a shapeshifter is doing in my freaking apartment?"  
  
"I-" Levi begins, but a thought hits Eren like a battering ram.

"Oh my god," he whispers in horror. "Oh my fucking god. You've been living with me for _years_!"

Levi rolls his eyes. "No shit, Sherlock."

"No," Eren says, "I've been _feeding_ you."

"Yeah… cat food," Levi says in disgust. "I've been taking whatever real-people food I can scavenge. Speaking of which, you might actually wanna go get that lunch after all, 'cause I ate all the leftovers."  
  
"Oh, c'mon, I was looking forward to those!" Eren whines. Then he's struck with another horrible thought. "Oh my god…"

"What?" snaps Levi.

"Sometimes you sleep in my bed!" Eren shudders slightly and steps back, creating more distance between himself and Levi.

Levi, meanwhile, isn't making eye contact, and Eren could swear that he's blushing. "Yeah, well… all of that stuff, like that, and sitting on your lap, and asking you to scratch me-"

"And nibbling on my ear and kneading my chest and rubbing yourself literally all over me?" Eren interjects, feeling a little sick.

"Ok, enough," says Levi, and he too looks a bit nauseated, in a gruff sort of way. "It's different when I'm a cat, ok? And I was a cat for a long time. I mean, I took breaks-"

"Breaks to sit on my couch naked and watch Downton Abbey?" Eren asks accusingly.

Levi glares at him. "Among other things. But-"

"'Cause I'm gonna have to burn that couch, you know."

"Will you let me talk? Anyway, I took a few breaks, but other than that I've really gotten into the 'cat' mindset. So, all that affectionate crap… it was just a cat thing," Levi finishes lamely.

Eren raises his eyebrows. "Oh gosh, Levi, that makes me feel _so_ much better," he says drily. "Now that we've cleared up that little mystery, it's time for you to go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find my tumblr [here](http://erenjaegrrr.tumblr.com/)! 
> 
> I'll also be tracking this fic as 'fic: what's new pussycat' or 'fic: wnp'.
> 
> Thanks again!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It would just be for a few more weeks, Eren, I promise. I can stay on the couch in your office. Just enough time for me to find my pack. Then I'll be out of your life. Forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is, one week later as promised!
> 
> sooo i shamelessly stole a lot of the supernatural stuff from the tv show Supernatural, since I really wanted to cement Levi's shapeshifting abilities which is kinda dumb but whaaatever CAT!LEVI
> 
> lastly, THANK YOU FOR 100 KUDOS <3 <3 <3

"It's time for you to go."

Levi's eyes widen. "Wait, hold on, can we talk about this?"

"No!" Eren says firmly.

"I wasn't just playing housecat to get my rocks off, brat!" says Levi, "I wouldn't have even been here, but those vampires just _had_  to come into town, and of course hunters came after them-"

"Hang on," Eren says, holding up a hand, "Vampires? Hunters?"

Levi rolls his eyes. "Oh, yeah. Let me give you the short version: tons of monsters that you've heard about are all real, like vampires and werewolves and shit, and there are people called hunters, who kill them."

"And… _you're_  a monster?" says Eren. His head hurts a little bit.

"Well, technically I am, yeah," Levi says. "But me and my pack? We don't fuck around with hurting people. We're alright, Eren, you have to trust me."

"Well… you have been living with me for a while, and you haven't done anything," Eren admits reluctantly.

"Yeah! Exactly," says Levi, "But the thing about hunters? Most of them are shitty macho jerks. Shoot first, ask questions later. It's gotten worse in the past couple of years, too. Suddenly every hunter wants to be a Winchester."

"Every hunter wants to be a gun?"

Levi lets out a dry chuckle. "Nah, forget it, not something you'd understand. Anyway, once those hunters were done with those vampires, we figured they'd catch wind of us. So we split up, and I went scrounging for garbage and drinking dirty rainwater." He grimaces at the memory. "It didn't go very well."

"And then I found you," Eren says.

"And then you found me," Levi agrees, solemnly holding eye contact. "And I felt bad for mooching, I did, but I was so disgusting… well, I'm sure you remember. I figured I'd stay for a week or so, fatten up, then grab some provisions and get lost. But I was worried that the monsters or hunters were still around and…" And now Levi is back to avoiding Eren's gaze. "…I guess it was nice living in a real house again."

"And having a personal servant to fix your meals and warm your bed?" Eren says accusingly.

"I tried to carry my weight!" insists Levi. "I brought home food when I could, and I clean your goddamn apartment at least once a week!"

"You clean?" Eren says dumbly. Thinking back, he did noticed the contents of his fridge changing without his changing them, and even though he can't remember the last time he's cleaned the apartment, the place is relatively spotless.

"Yeah! I'm like yourown personal maid, which is a huge accomplishment, by the way, because you are one of the messiest people I've ever seen," Levi says haughtily.

"Oh, geez, sorry, my pet cat-man thinks that I'm messy!" Eren says loudly.

"I am _not_ your pet," snarls Levi.

Eren barks out a laugh. "You're damn right about that. I don't fucking _want_ you as my pet. Get the fuck out of my house, find your 'pack', and move to a town that's vampire free!"

"I don't know if the vampires and/or the hunters are still here, and I have no idea where my pack is!" protests Levi.

"I don't care! You're a stranger, you're naked, you're some kind of freaky cat-man, I've been feeding and cuddling you for years… oh,  _fuck_ …" Eren smacks a palm onto his forehead and groans loudly. He can't believe he's having second thoughts about this, but he grew quite attached to his cat, and he doesn't want him to die.

Levi notices his doubt, and says quietly, "It would just be for a few more weeks, Eren, I promise. I can stay on the couch in your office. Just enough time for me to find my pack. Then I'll be out of your life. Forever." By the last part of his promise, Levi's voice has somewhat flattened out.

Eren sighs deeply. "I can't believe I'm… ok. Ok, you can stay. For a few weeks." Levi looks at him gratefully, but Eren holds up his hand again, saying, "But! You're going to clean my couch. And keep cleaning my house."

"Fine," says Levi.

"Oh, and one more thing?" Eren asks. "PUT SOME GODDAMN CLOTHES ON!"

"Sure, excuse me, I'll just walk to the store right now, buck naked," Levi drawls.

"Ok… I'll give you some of my clothes, and you can wear those to the store," Eren says confidently.

Levi gives him an incredulous look. "You want me to wear _your_ clothes?"

"Yeah…"

"Uh uh," Levi says, "First of all, you're a fucking giant compared to me, and second of all, your sense of style sucks. I'd rather walk to the store naked."

For the first time in his life, Eren's eye twitches.

"Ok," he says through gritted teeth, "Well, how about you suck it up and wear my big ugly clothes for a forty minute shopping trip? I'll even drive you."

Levi lets out a puff of breath. "Fine," he says, "Bring me some clothes."

"Can I get a please?" Eren shoots back.

"Please," Levi says grumpily.

"Well, if you're gonna ask so nicely…" Eren says sarcastically as he walks towards his bedroom. "Just be glad I never made you wear a collar."

"Don't give me that shitty gray-and-yellow shirt you wear sometimes! I hate that shirt!" he hears Levi yell.

"Yes, your highness!" he shouts back, stopping to hit his head against the nearest wall. He's still somewhat convinced he's dreaming. And he's also pretty mad that Mikasa was right about Levi. The cat- man- whatever- is a total asshole.

And he likes that fucking gray-and-yellow shirt just fine. There's nothing wrong with that gray-and-yellow shirt.

Anyway, it turns out that he has a pair of black jeans that Armin left over last time he visited, and he roughly estimates that Armin and Levi are somewhat similar in size. However, he has no shirts small enough for Levi, so he just grabs a plain white t-shirt and hopes that the man won't bitch about it too much.

He walks back into the living room and chucks the clothes at Levi. "Here," he says.

Levi drops the sheet to grab the clothes, and Eren immediately turns around, more out of embarrassment than anything else. "Where's my underwear?" asks Levi.

Eren snorts. "Good joke," he says, "I'm not giving you any underwear, you can buy your own. Those aren't my pants, so you can keep them."

"Gee, thanks," mutters Levi.  
  
"You've been walking around naked," says Eren. He hears the sounds of fabric rustling as Levi presumably changes. "Surely underwear can't be _that_ important?"

"I'm not savage," says Levi, his tone indignant.

"Of course you're not," Eren says sarcastically, "You just lick your own ass in the mornings while I eat my breakfast."

"Haven't you ever taken a shower in the morning? It's the same thing," says Levi.

"Oh my god, _gross_ ," says Eren, and then there's silence until Levi finishes changing.

"I'm ready," he says.

"Ok, let's go." Eren grabs his wallet and car keys, shoves on a jacket. The sooner Levi gets clothes, the sooner Eren gets food.

But when he turns and sees Levi, he pauses to laugh. The pants fit surprisingly well, but his white t-shirt completely dominates Levi's slender frame.

Levi glares at him. "Laugh it up, shitty brat," he says, "It's your shirt."

"Yeah, but I'm a normal sized person," Eren points out with a grin.

Levi's glare intensifies. "Just take me shopping," he says finally.

When they get to the apartment complex's garage and Eren unlocks his car, Levi groans. "Ugh, your piece of shit car," he says as he gingerly gets in the passenger seat, "Do you ever clean it?"

"At least I'm not driving you to the vet again," murmurs Eren as he starts the engine.

"Oh my fuckin' god," Levi says, giving a little shudder. "Fuck the vet."

"I know, I know-"

"No! You don't 'know'," insists Levi. "Goddamn, that fuckin' vet. Sticking needles and fingers inside me, without my permission… I could sue for sexual harassment!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby," says Eren as he drives out of the garage, "They cured your ringworm, remember?"

"Don't remind me," groans Levi.

When they get to the thrift shop, Levi asks, "Where the fuck are we?"

"The thrift shop," says Eren.

"Oh, hell no," Levi says viciously, crossing his arms and crouching in his seat.

"What, were you expecting Ralph Lauren?"

"No. But the thrift shop? I don't want clothes that have already been worn by some smelly, dirty human!"

"Look, princess," Eren says exasperatedly, "I'm not rich. In fact, I'm just scraping by, and I'm not spending a thousand dollars on your wardrobe, especially considering I've been feeding and taking care of you for the past two years."

"I'm not wearing dirty clothing," Levi insists, and now he's pouting _._

Eren leans back in his seat and closes his eyes for a second. "Ok," he finally says, "I know that cleanliness is important to you, so how's this: you buy your clothes here, and then after I'll take you to a nice Walmart to buy your own cleaning supplies? You can clean your clothes- and anything else- to your heart's content."

Levi mulls it over, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand. The gesture is distinctly catlike, and Eren can easily imagine a twitching tail. "Ok," Levi says finally, "I'll do it. But I insist on getting at least two pairs of new shoes. You can't wash shoes."

"Fine," Eren says. "Shall we go?"

They walk into the store, and immediately Levi scurries over to the men's section, so fast that for a second Eren doesn't realize where he is. By the time he finds Levi, the man has already chosen two sweaters, and is currently wrinkling his nose at a third, a navy-blue one.

"I like that one," Eren blurts.

Levi looks up at him. "You would," he says simply, but he puts the sweater with the other two already in his arms.

Eren awkwardly follows Levi through the store, watching him grab shirts, pants, and jackets. He waits patiently outside the dressing rooms, and when Levi comes out with the chosen clothes, he walks with him to the cashier to pay for them.

As they're walking to the cashier, Levi gets distracted by a loose thread on a dress, and while he's focused on it Eren sees another sweater on display. The moment he looks at it, he knows he _has_ to see Levi wear it, so he takes the opportunity to slip it into the shopping cart.

"What are you grinning at?" Levi asks him.

"Oh, well… your string fascination," Eren answers hurriedly, proud of his quick thinking.

"Shut up," Levi says, and then it's their turn to pay.

Eren handles the clothes, hoping to prevent Levi from seeing his little surprise. "D'you want to change into some of these before we leave the store?" he asks. Then he laughs at Levi's look of utter horror. "Right, right, dirty, I get it. Let's just go get cleaning supplies and shoes."

They stop at a Payless first, and Levi picks out a pair of navy-blue high top Converse sneakers, grey plaid slip ons, and black ankle boots.

Then they go for cleaning supplies. They get to the cleaning aisle and Levi looks like a kid in a candy store. Eren gives up on following him, because he's moving almost as fast as he did as a cat, flying from product to product. When he comes back to Eren, the cart is quite full. Eren gives him a look.  
  
"Trust me, I'm going to need all of this," says Levi.

By the time they're heading home, Eren's not singing along to the radio. He has spent a lot more of his money than he meant to, and this whole notion of harboring this bratty cat-man-monster is seeming more and more ridiculous. Plus, he never got lunch.

Levi seems to notice his bad mood. "Thanks. For the clothes and cleaning supplies and stuff."

Eren grunts in response, eyes on the road.

There's another pause, and then Levi says, "And I'm sorry for eating your leftovers."

"Ugh, don't remind me," growls Eren, "I'm fucking starving."

"Well, if you want, I can make dinner?" says Levi.

"You can cook?"

"Yeah, when I lived with my pack I was the one who cooked. And I watch a lot of the Food Network."

"I always wondered why I'd find the tv switched onto the Food Network when I turned it on after work!" exclaims Eren. Then he adds, "Sure, I'm not turning down food."

"We're gonna need to make a quick stop at a grocery store, considering your fridge is empty," says Levi. So they do.

 

* * *

 

They can't carry all of the bags from the car to the apartment in one trip, so they have to make two trips. When they've gotten everything inside, Eren shuts the door and locks it, and there's an awkward silence. Probably like the fifth awkward silence today.

Levi's looking around the room, which Eren recognizes as a sign of him being uncomfortable. "So, um… you can do your thing in the kitchen," he says nonchalantly. "If you want, I can start washing the clothes."

He's expecting a little gratitude for breaking the tension, but all Levi says is, "Like I'm letting you clean _my_ clothes. I'll do it later tonight." Then he saunters off into the kitchen.

Eren shakes his head and goes to play Skyrim.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's a perfect housewife... cat... whatever. But the whole situation is still quite awkward until Levi shares more information about his past, apologies are exchanged, and the two men reach a point at which they may actually be able to become friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a bit longer than usual! wooo!!! i hope you enjoy more info about Levi's past/pack.

Eren hears the clatter of pots and pans as Levi gets to work, and soon an amazing smell permeates the living room. It's so distracting that Eren finds himself unable to focus on killing dragons. He pauses the game and walks into the kitchen, where Levi is pouring a clear liquid into a pan.

"Whatcha making?" says Eren, looking over his shoulder.

Levi shudders. "Don't breathe on me while I'm cooking, brat. It's risotto."

"Risotto? Isn't that really fancy?" asks Eren, wrinkling his nose.

"Nah, it's pretty easy to make," says Levi. "Now get out of my way, your kitchen is small enough as it is."

Eren pouts and goes back to his game. As he waits for Levi to prepare the food, it dawns on him that he's letting his cat make him dinner. This fancy rice better be good.

 

* * *

 

The fancy rice is amazing.

Mid-swallow, Eren looks up to find Levi demurely licking the rice off the plate. "…Um, Levi?" he says weakly.

"What?" asks Levi.  
  
"Silverware."

"…Right," Levi says, scowling as a faint pinkness brushes his cheeks, "Force of habit."

Then he looks up at Eren, saying, "Oh! That's one thing I forgot. You don't have any actual silver lying around, do you?"

"Sure," Eren says, "Right next to the diamonds and rubies."

"Haha," says Levi drily. "This is important. I can't touch silver; it burns me."

"You're allergic?" asks Eren, honestly confused.

Levi rolls his eyes. "No, you dumbass! It's a shapeshifter thing. No silver. It's a common weakness for monsters."

"Oh, ok," says Eren, "Well, there's no silver here, I think. My key is gold… Oh, well there is my father's pocket watch, but it's-"

"In the cabinet, I know," says Levi. "Ok, that's fine, then." He then picks up his fork, holding it at a weird angle.

Eren chuckles and reaches across the table. "No, no, buddy, it's like this," he says, wrapping his larger hand around Levi's significantly smaller one.

Levi tugs his hand away. "What the fuck?"

"Just let me help you, would you?" Eren asks.

Levi looks at him for a second, then sighs and holds his hand out. Eren gently maneuvers the smaller man's fingers to properly hold the fork. "Been a while since you used one of these?" he asks.

Levi nods. "It was either cat food or eating with my hands," he says. "So how's the food?"

"Amazing, seriously, Levi," Eren says, "You should cook more."

The corners of Levi's mouth turn up slightly, the first time Eren's seen a hint of a smile on his face. It disappears as quickly as it came, and all Levi says is, "If you get the ingredients I need, I will. Fuck, it is so nice to be able to be a person again."

"Is it less comfortable being a cat than a person?" asks Eren.

Levi shrugs. "Not really," he says, "It's just as natural to me as being human. But it's nice to have a balance, you know? Too much time in either form can get a bit irritating. Weird cramps and extra hairballs once I shift back."

" _Extra_  hairballs? As in, you normally get hairballs? In human form?" Eren repeats, hoping he misheard.

"Yeah, sorry in advance," says Levi with a smirk.

"Ok," Eren says in an overwhelmed tone of voice, pushing away his empty plate, "I'm just… I'm just gonna go get a popsicle."  
  
He hears Levi chuckling behind him as he opens up the freezer.

They spend the rest of the evening casually avoiding each other, Levi reading a book at the dining room table and Eren continuing to play Skyrim in the living room.

At twelve o' clock, Eren shuts off Skyrim and and stands up abruptly. Levi looks up at him in mild surprise.

"Well, I have work tomorrow… so I should probably go to bed…" says Eren, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh! Oh, yeah…" says Levi, clearing his throat. His cheeks are slightly pink again. "Umm… do you have blankets for me to sleep as a human? Obviously not on your bed! But… I'd just like a little while longer to stretch out before I start sleeping as a cat again."

Eren recalls the countless times cat!Levi had slept in his bed and feels his ears grow hot. "Umm… I can get you some blankets, and set you up on the couch in the office?"

He calls it the 'office', but it's really just a small spare room that he doesn't have a use for. It's barely big enough for a couch, a desk, and a small bookshelf, but Levi should be able to fit in it with no problems.

"Yeah," Levi says quickly, "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Cool," Eren says. He gets up, grabs the blankets, and hands them to Levi. "Oh! Hang on," he says. He runs to his bedroom to grab the pillow that he doesn't sleep on, and puts it on the couch.

"Thanks," Levi says awkwardly.

"No problem," Eren replies, equally as awkward. "Do you, uh, need a toothbrush, or anything?"

"I bought one today," Levi admits.

"Ok," Eren says. He taps his fingers against his thigh for a second, and then blurts, "Well, goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Levi says. Eren turns to leave, but before he can take a step, Levi says, "And seriously, Eren, thanks. I realize this is a lot to deal with…"

"Well, I just… I'm glad I could help," says Eren. And with that, he heads off to the bedroom to get ready to sleep.

Of course, it takes him forever to fall asleep. This was hands down the weirdest day of his life. His cat is a person, and he's not sure he's ever going to get used to that.

And it's kind of sad. Eren really loved his pet cat, loved how affectionate and finicky and clever he was. He was great company. But the human Levi is so dramatically different from the cat Levi that it's practically like Eren has a total stranger crashing on his a couch. A total stranger that he's fed and cleaned the litter box for the past couple of years. A total stranger that-

Eren bolts upright as he realizes that Levi has one hundred percent definitely seen him naked, considering he lives in the apartment alone and has often decided to save the money spent on air conditioning by stripping down.

Then he plops back down on the bed and smashes the pillow into his face, thinking grimly that these are going to be a very long couple of months.

 

* * *

 

The alarm goes off and Eren smacks it, groaning as he sits up. Blindly he fumbles with a gentle hand for Levi, but the cat isn't on his bed.

He makes his way towards the kitchen, only to stop when he hears the sound of toast popping up.

"Are you awake?" he hears a low voice say. Levi steps out of the kitchen, and the events of the past day come rushing back.

Eren blinks, swaying where he stands. "Not really," he decides.

"I made coffee and toast," says Levi. He disappears back into the kitchen, and Eren groggily follows him.

Before he knows it, Eren's sitting at the table with a mug of hot coffee, with precisely the amount of milk and sugar that he prefers (a couple drops of milk, a couple spoonfuls of sugar). In front of him is a plate with toast slathered in butter and strawberry jam.

"How did you-"

"I think I've seen you eat breakfast enough to know what you like to eat," says Levi demurely, sitting down across the table with a glass of milk and his own plate of toast.

He doesn't want to be rude, but he's got work. So Eren bolts down the toast and quickly drinks the coffee, and both taste delicious. Levi doesn't seem to be offended by his rush, simply working on his own breakfast while occasionally looking up at him.

Quickly he gets dressed and prepares to leave. Before he opens the front door, he turns to face Levi. "So, uh… you know when I'll come home. What are you going to do?"

Levi shrugs. "Probably head out to look for my pack."

"But don't you have to be careful of the hunters?" asks Eren.

"As long as I blend in, I have nothing to worry about."

"Ok," says Eren, "See ya later, I guess."

 

* * *

 

When he comes home from work, Levi is curled up on the couch with the same book as yesterday. He looks up at Eren as he walks in, stands up and walks toward him.

"Hey," says Eren.

"Hey," says Levi. "I did the laundry. What is that shitty ass sweater doing in my pile of clothes?"

At first Eren's confused, then it clicks. "Oh, you mean the cat one?" he asks with a smirk.

"Yes, I mean the cat one," Levi says frostily.

"Aw, what's the matter? Dontcha like it?" Eren grins, remembering how he snuck the sweater into the shopping cart without Levi noticing. In the moment, looking at the sweater with a giant cat on it, he thought the joke was hilarious. He couldn't help it.

"It was a terrible joke," Levi says, "And I am _not_  wearing that sweater, you shitty brat."

"Ok, ok," Eren says, "No one's asking you to."

"Tch," says Levi. Then after a short pause, he says in a rushed tone, "How was your first day of work?"

"Oh! Umm… fine," says Eren. "I… waited tables, and stuff. Uh… How was yours?"  
  
Levi makes a face. "Tch. My pack has disappeared off the face of the fucking planet. I tried our old hiding places, found nothing."  
  
"Sorry," says Eren, "But I'm sure you'll find them!"

Levi lets out a long sigh. "I sure as fuck hope so."

"So… what exactly _is_ your pack, anyway? Is it your family or friends?" asks Eren. It's a question that's been on the tip of his tongue since Levi first mentioned he had a pack.  
  
"That's a long story," Levi says after a short pause.

"If it's too personal, I understand," Eren quickly backtracks.

"No, it's fine," Levi says, "It's literally just a long story. Maybe after dinner?"

Eren perks up. "You made dinner?"

"Yeah, I made omelets."

"Omelets? For dinner?"

"Well, I don't know, I had a craving," Levi says defensively. "If you want, I can-"

"No! Omelets are fine! I love omelets," insists Eren with a grateful smile.

The omelets have cheese, bacon, and scallions in them, and they're just as delicious as the risotto, maybe even more so.

"Fuck," Levi moans as he puts his fork down on his now-clean plate, "It has been too goddamn long since I've had eggs. You done? I can take your plate."

"Thanks," Eren says, handing it over.

After dinner, they sit on the couch, at a respectable distance away from each other. Levi avoids Eren's gaze as he clears his throat.

"Yeah, so my pack," he begins. "It's a little weird compared to your standard monster pack."

"Your 'standard monster pack'," Eren repeats incredulously.

Levi shoots him a look. "Oh shut up, let me talk." Eren holds up his hands, gesturing for Levi to continue. "Anyway, most packs are family affairs. Shapeshifters have kids, and then they turn random humans into shapeshifters to keep the bloodline going. That's standard. But mine works- _worked_ … a little differently."

Levi brings his eyes up to Eren's, and Eren nods encouragingly at him.

"I never knew my parents," Levi says, "I grew up an orphan who no one wanted to adopt. Something having to do with the fact that if they took me in long enough they would see me transform into a cat, think they were going insane or that I was the antichrist or a witch or some shit."

"Why didn't you do what you've been doing here with me? Turn into a cat and live as a pet?" asks Eren.

Levi sighs. "I should have done that. But I had no idea what the fuck was going on with me. For a while I thought that I was insane, too. But one thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want to freak out another foster family. So when I was thirteen, I went to live on the streets."

"Alone? At _thirteen_?" Eren asks, shocked.

"Yeah… it was rough," Levi admits. "I did things… it was… not a good time. I'm not getting into it. Anyway, when I was sixteen, I was attacked by a werewolf."

"No kidding!" says Eren in amazement.

Levi nods. "It was fucking terrifying. That was gonna be it for me, but then out of nowhere this other giant goddamn dog jumps in front of me from out of nowhere and starts attacking the werewolf. Then a bunch of other animals join in, and finally I hear a shot. This tall blonde guy shot the werewolf dead. So I turn to run away because I'm so freaked out, but the blonde guy calls me back. He tells me he knows what I am, and that I'm around people like me."

"So that was your pack?"

"Yep," Levi says, "Led by the blonde guy, Erwin Smith. We may not have been the usual kind of pack, but we still had a pack leader. And they were all fucking nuts," he adds somewhat fondly, "But it was nice. Having a family, or whatever. Erwin told me first off that none of them would harm humans, and that as long as I agreed to follow that rule I would have a place with them. I had no problem with that. We're a lucky breed of monster because we don't need to hurt humans to live."

"Is that rare?"

"Very."

"Great," says Eren gloomily.

"Hey, you've survived this long. Anyway, I stayed with them for a long time, and everything was peachy. I wasn't the only one who had no family. Erwin kinda went around recruited loners to join up. We had to move around sometimes, cause of hunters or other monsters, but life was good. Then that really big group of vampires came into town, and we weren't ready. They actually came very near to finding us, so we had to scatter. That was the last time I saw my pack," Levi finishes glumly.

They sit in silence for a second, while Eren tries and thinks of what to say. He feels kind of bad about the way he's been treating Levi over the last day or so. Although it's decidedly incredibly bizarre to suddenly be talking to his cat, clearly Levi is just as uncomfortable with the situation.

Neither of them chose this living arrangement, and while Eren may have to deal with a strange man in his apartment, Levi has to deal with the fact that his adopted family might be dead. Although Levi isn't the easiest guy to live with, he's promised to cook and clean, and through the tough guy exterior Eren can sense a softer side. So at that moment, Eren decides he'll try to be nicer to Levi, no matter how snarky the man gets.

"I'm sorry," he says, then blinks, because Levi apologized at almost the same time he did. They both laugh awkwardly.

"No, Levi, I'm sorry," Eren insists. "I've been treating you like some kind of creeper when you had no other place to go, and you'd been separated from your family-"

"Shut the fuck up, Eren," Levi interrupts. "I stole my way into your house and made you feed and care for me for years, then when you found me naked on your couch I told you monsters were real and acted like a complete asshole. I mean, I'm not going to stop being an asshole, that's just who I am. But the other stuff was unfair to you."

Eren smiles. "Ok. So how about this: we keep our same arrangement, but we stop avoiding each other and actually try to get along?"

Levi looks at him in slight shock. "After all that, you're still going to let me live here?"

"Come on," Eren says, "I'm not going to just kick you back onto the street!"

Levi ducks his head, and Eren can swear he sees the faintest glimmer of a grateful smile. "Ok," Levi says simply.

He leans forward slightly, as if he desires a method to seal their agreement but unsure exactly how to go about it. Impulsively, Eren surges forward and hugs Levi, his left arm over Levi's right shoulder and his right arm around the left side of Levi's waist. He feels Levi stiffen, in his arms, and for a short terrifying moment he fears he's made a grave mistake.

Then Levi hugs back, loosely but purposefully. Although his grip is light at first, it strengthens as the hug lasts, until he's clinging onto Eren like a drowning man. Though quite surprised, Eren gently rubs his back once or twice, letting Levi take what he needs, and finally they separate.

"Sorry-" Levi begins to say, but Eren stops him.

"No more apologies for now, alright?"

"Alright," Levi says. "Sounds good to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again for reading! and for those who might have been wondering, next chapter the ereri is gonna begin, so stay tuned ;)
> 
> (also if you're a little surprised by the hug, don't worry, that'll be revisited later ehehehe)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi shows Eren another form he can take, the boys bro out with some Marvel movies and beer, and then things get... complicated. Proceeded by plenty of excuses and Extreme Denial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow the ereri really ramps up in this one...
> 
> this chapter has some of my favourite moments in the story, so please enjoy! and don'tjudgemeohgod

Over the next couple of days, it gets easier.

Although it's still incredibly bizarre, and although they still have their moments of tension (Levi has his moods, and he also somehow seems to expect that Eren will still clean his litterbox), Eren finds himself enjoying Levi's company.

Even though Armin and Mikasa would often visit, even when he thought that he simply had a pet cat, Eren was still a bit lonely. Now he comes home from work to the sound of the television, or the smell of a newly cleaned apartment, or the sounds of pots and pans in the kitchen.

And it's not just that it's nice to have someone cooking and cleaning for him. Although they're very different people, they find things in common. Turns out they share a bitter hatred for tiresome people, romcoms, cheesy romance clichés in general, and country music. Not only that, but they share a deep love for awful puns, innuendos, anti-jokes, chocolate, action movies, and movies, tv shows, and documentaries about serial killers.

Levi flips back and forth between cat and human at his leisure. At first he only travels out as a cat to search for his pack. But as time goes on and he gets more confident that no monster or hunter is after him, he gets bolder. Being a human, he explains to Eren, makes it easier. He can talk to people and open doors.

Levi also occasionally takes a third form, one he shows Eren not long after their reciprocal apology. 

 

* * *

 

"It's kind of a happy medium," Levi explains, "For when I'm in the house."

In this form, Levi's almost passable as a normal human, except for the large black cat ears sticking up from his sleek black hair and the long black tail attached just under the waistline of his sweatpants.

"You look like one of those 'furry' people who wears animal costumes to have sex," Eren says with a grin.

"Oi," Levi warns.

"What? I'm just wondering if you've ever stuck that tail up someone's- OW, LEVI!" Levi's tail just whipped out to wrap around Eren's ankle and pull, causing Eren to fall painfully. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry," he says, gingerly rubbing his tailbone, but he's still smiling. "Jeez, that thing is strong. Very muscled," he adds, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive leer.

Levi rolls his eyes. "You are a child," he says with great dignity, "And I don't have to put up with this. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go cut tail holes in some of my pants."

Of course, that only makes Eren laugh so hard that he falls on the floor once again. But later he helps Levi sew flaps onto pants, flaps that velcro shut so Levi can still wear them in public.

Even though Levi has the ability to be in any form he chooses now, he still looks a bit sickly to Eren. Maybe he's just naturally pale, but the bags under his eyes are still there, and sometimes Eren sees his hands shake slightly, or feels his body twitch when Eren brushes against him as he walks by or puts a friendly hand on his shoulder.

Eren soon learns the reason for this. In the most painfully awkward way.

 

* * *

 

It's Friday night, about two weeks after Levi first made his full presence known. Eren's got nothing to do. Mikasa's out with Annie, and Armin's out with Marco. But when he gets home, Levi's sitting in front of the television.

"The Avengers is on," Levi informs him. "I have popcorn and beer."

"Fuck yeah!" Eren says, kicking off his shoes and taking a running leap over the back of the couch. He lands dangerously close to Levi, who gives him an eyeroll and shoves him away, saying amicably, "Get off me, you overgrown beast."

"Sorry," Eren says with a grin, "Did I miss anything?"

"Loki just jumped in the truck and Maria's chasing them," Levi replies, offering Eren the bowl of popcorn.

"Oh, that's fine," Eren says, taking a fistful of popcorn and cramming it in his mouth. "As long as I didn't miss any of the actual Avengers."

"Would it kill you to not talk with your mouth full of food?" Levi scolds. "And I consider missing the opening scene a tragedy."

"For your information, yes, it would kill me," says Eren, sticking out his tongue to show Levi the chewed-up kernels. "And the only reason you say that is because you want to be in the manly embrace of Hawkeye's super-buff arms."

Levi winces at Eren's full mouth, and chooses to turn his attention back to the tv instead of respond.

It's only when Eren is completely enthralled in Iron Man's opening scene that Levi speaks up again. "I may have a completely healthy and understandable appreciation for Hawkeye, but your love for Tony Stark is baffling."

Eren shrugs. "What can I say?" he asks without taking his eyes away from the screen, "I like the short, snarky, dark-haired type."

Levi doesn't reply to this, either. When Eren finally looks away from the movie, he sees Levi giving him the strangest look.

"What?" Eren asks, puzzled.

Levi stares at him for a few more seconds, then shakes his head. "Nothing. Shut your mouth and watch the movie, I'm missing the dialogue."

"Like we both haven't seen it at least five times," mutters Eren, but he keeps his mouth closed for the rest of the movie.

After The Avengers, Thor 2 is on, and Eren and Levi spend most of the movie arguing over who the most attractive person is.

"Now obviously Sif is-"

"Levi, we've been over this," Eren says, taking a drink before continuing, "We're not judging the women of Marvel. The women of Marvel beat the men, no question, because they have to deal with all these macho guys going nuts, and also with the fans and their sexist bullshit."

"Right, sorry," Levi concedes. (Eren's given him that talk before). "So this is really gonna break down to Thor or Loki, isn't it?"

"In that case, it's not much of an argument, is it?" says Eren.

"It's completely obvious," says Levi.

"Thor," Levi says, at the same time Eren says, "Loki."

The subsequent argument lasts until the credits are rolling. By then, Eren is kind of drunk and extremely sleepy, and he can tell that Levi is too.

"'M goin' to bed," he says.

"Ok," mumbles Levi, "I'm just… just gonna clean up the mess."

Eren brushes his teeth and washes his face as quick as his exhausted brain will allow. He stumbles into the bedroom, takes off his clothes, slides on a pair of boxers, and collapses onto the bed, not even bothering to get under the covers. He's out almost instantly.  
  
He dreams of a warm body sliding up next to him, bare skin against bare skin, a tail looping snugly around his lower thigh. Soft fur tickles his nose and hair gets in his mouth as a head rubs against his neck, burrowing closer to him. He hums happily in response and swings an arm over his bedmate, giving them a nice scratch behind the ear.

It's only when Levi, purring loudly, laps affectionally at his neck that he realizes he isn't having a dream.

"AAAAHHHH!"

"Oh, _shit_ , I-"

"LEVI WHAT THE FUCK?"

Eren ends up pushing Levi away with such force that both of them fall off the bed, flailing around for a few seconds before standing up to face each other. Eren still somewhat feels the phantom prickle of Levi's hair on his lips, Levi's furry cat ear brushing against his nose, Levi's tail wrapped firmly around his thigh. He definitely feels Levi's saliva cooling on his neck. As he shifts in place, he realizes with considerable horror that he has an erection.

Levi, meanwhile, is blushing a furious crimson. "I'm sorry, alright?" he says loudly, "I wasn't thinking, I'm still drunk, I'm exhausted, and it's what I always used to do when I was just your cat; it's a force of habit!"

"I thought you said that touchy-feely stuff was a side effect of staying as a cat for so long, and that it was over now!" Eren protests.

"Well… I may have kept a few things out of my explanation…" Levi says guiltily. "It's just that-"

"No talking!" says Eren. He points to his clock. "It's TWO AM. Not now. Now we sleep. IN SEPARATE BEDS. Tomorrow we'll talk about this."

"Yeah, alright," says Levi, and he staggers out of Eren's room.

Eren waits till he's gone, and shuts the door firmly. He seriously debates locking it too, but eventually he decides against it. Once more collapsing into bed, he finds it a bit more difficult to sleep this time due to his mild arousal, which is _so fucked up_ that he's not even gonna think about it.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning he wakes up an hour earlier than he has to. He's cranky, having just had a terrible night's sleep. He puts on a shirt before heading into the living room.

Levi's already up and making breakfast. "French toast," he says when Eren walks into the kitchen. His cat ears and tail are hidden.

"Are you trying to make me forget last night with food?" Eren says.

Levi shrugs. "Kinda," he says, before flipping a piece of toast.

A strong burst of cinnamon makes its way to Eren's nose. "Well, it's almost working," he admits. "We can talk after breakfast. My mom always says it's best not to have a difficult conversation on an empty stomach."

The french toast is delicious, but breakfast is silent. It reminds Eren of the awkward meals they had when Levi first introduced himself as a human.

After they eat and Levi puts away the dishes, Eren doesn't waste any time. "Ok, so what the fuck happened last night? Or, I guess technically this morning."

Levi sighs. "So, I didn't tell you this… I thought it wouldn't be a problem. But the cuddly thing isn't just because I was a cat for so long. It's more of a general shapeshifter thing."

"So vampires suck blood, zombies eat brains, and shapeshifters are cuddly?" says Eren drily.

Levi glares at him. "It's a survival thing. We work better in packs, and packs need to be emotionally and physically close."

"So if you _don't_ cuddle…" Eren says.

"We don't die or anything, but it has a negative effect on our psyche," says Levi. "After a while, you start to crave it, like the worst kind of food cravings. So last night when my self-control was fucked over by the alcohol and the lack of sleep, my body was calling the shots."

That explains Levi's concerning behavior. "And it's a purely platonic thing?" Eren says. "No sex involved?"

"No sex!" snaps Levi, his cheeks red. "Christ almighty."

"Oh thank god, I was worried it was some kind of mating thing. Like you were in heat or something," Eren admits sheepishly.

"You're a pervert," Levi says grouchily.

Eren laughs, then leans forward to ask seriously, "Anyway, Levi, why didn't you _tell_  me about this?"

Levi shrugs. "I didn't think it would be something you'd want to know about," he says. "It's weird shit, after all. I thought I could control it. I fucked up, it won't happen again."

"Levi," Eren says, "It's not weird. It's just who you are. And I cuddle with people! I cuddle with my friends, especially Mikasa and Armin, all the time. People cuddle. It's totally normal."

"Yeah, but I'm-"

"You're my friend, bro. And I cuddle with my friends."

That doesn't seem to have convinced Levi, judging by the glum look on his face, so Eren continues.

"I'll cuddle you!" Eren says excitedly. "I'll cuddle you whenever you want!" He jumps out of his chair and heads around the table towards Levi.

Levi's eyes widen slightly. "Eren, you can't just-"

"I can and I will!" says Eren as he reaches his target. He moves to wrap his arms around Levi.

"Get away from me, you monster," says Levi irately, lifting his own arms to shield himself from Eren's offenses.

"Here come the cuddles!" Eren coos in a mock baby voice, trying to break through Levi's defenses.

They struggle for a moment, but Levi's defense is halfhearted, and eventually Eren breaks through. He wraps his arms tightly around Levi's waist, lifting the smaller man slightly into the air.

"Oh my god, you're such a _shit_ ," Levi squeals, beating his fists against Eren's back, but he's quietly laughing.

Eren loves the sound of Levi's laugh, especially since he rarely hears it. "Hey, man, you wanted this," he says, kicking away the chair so Levi has room to stand and reciprocate.

Levi sighs, and Eren shivers slightly as a cool gust of breath hits his chest through his shirt. But then Levi says, "Thanks," and reciprocates the hug, and Eren feels happy that he can help a friend.

He's… he's just kinda gonna ignore the fact that he got a boner last night. For his own peace of mind. It was probably just a random thing, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....I'm sorry? I just really wanted to get their relationship started and also I LOOOOVE cuddly Levi with a passion
> 
> (shoutout to anyone who realised that Eren's favourite superheroes somewhat resemble Levi and vice versa)
> 
> (also i 100% think that Eren would be a dedicated social justice dude <3 )
> 
> comments are ALWAYS appreciated! :)))


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi has some Fun With Catnip. Eren does not. Eren decides it's time for Levi to meet the 'parents'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you may have noticed, this fic is mostly going to be told in little snippet scenes, snapshots of eren and levi's life together. it's organized terribly because i am a Terrible Writer OTL
> 
> that being said, please enjoy levi under the influence because i certainly do

That awkward night doesn't stop Eren from giving Levi all the cuddling he wants. At first he's doing it a bit more for Levi's benefit. They'll be on the couch watching a movie, and Levi will lean his body towards Eren as if requesting contact without actually asking for it. Eren will scoot over to throw an arm around Levi's shoulder and pull him in; Levi will grumble out of embarrassment but go willingly, and occasionally rest his head on Eren's chest.

But eventually it gets to the point where Eren finds Levi absolutely irresistible to cuddle. He'll be struggling through a particularly difficult boss battle on the ps3, and pause the game to seek Levi out and squeeze the life out of him. Levi pretends he doesn't like this, but he always cuddles back.

So they're getting along pretty well. But there's still so much they don't know about each other. Eren's still learning about new and bizarre elements of Levi's liminal nature.

Like the time when Sasha and Connie come over to hang out. Levi's in cat form, but he's not hiding, because Levi likes Sasha and Connie. They don't pull his tail or bother him when he wants to be left alone. Plus, Sasha's working in the kitchen of a restaurant that specializes in fish, and she often brings over leftovers to give to Levi.

The moment they cross the threshold, Levi's rubbing up against their legs and meowing up a storm. "Hey there, tough guy," Sasha coos as she stoops down to pet him, "I guess you can tell I've got something in my bag for you!"

"You're in for a treat today, Levi," says Connie with an affectionate smile in Sasha's direction.

Eren rolls his eyes at the pampering that Levi's getting. But all he says is, "Hey, Connie, before I forget, can I give you that dvd you wanted to borrow?"

"Sure, bro," Connie says, following Eren into his bedroom.

It takes about five minutes for Eren to find the dvd, and fifteen more for him and Connie to have a brief discussion about their respective movie collections.

As they walk back into the living room, Eren's bringing up a very good point about the contrasts between Star Trek and Star Wars, but he stops in his tracks when he sees Sasha with Levi on the couch.

"Sasha," he says carefully, "That isn't fish."

"Your powers of observation are incredible, Eren," Sasha says drily. "It's not fish. It's catnip!"

She's poking the green leafy plant in Levi's face, stroking him with it. And Levi… Levi is lying on his side, eyes half-lidded in satisfaction, his tail lazily moving back and forth. If a cat could get drunk, Eren thinks, it would look like this.

"You didn't tell me you were giving him catnip," Eren says, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Chill out," Connie says, slapping Eren on the back, "He looks happy!"

"Catnip is perfectly safe for cats," adds Sasha.

 _Yes_ , thinks Eren, _But Levi is no mere cat._

He's not exactly sure what he's worrying about. Maybe Levi's mind will be permanently addled, or he'll be so intoxicated that he'll reveal his secret, or maybe he'll get stuck in his cat form forever.

But no matter what, he has to swallow his concern so he doesn't arouse the suspicion of his friends.

"I know it's safe," he says, "I've just never given it to Levi before."

"Aw, you've missed out, little man!" Sasha says to Levi, scratching under his chin. Levi lets out a disturbingly languid meow in response.

"Wanna play Super Smash Bros.?" Eren says hurriedly.

So they play for a while, then eat the actual food Sasha brought from the restaurant for dinner. The whole time, Eren keeps glancing uneasily at Levi, who hasn't moved from his spot on the couch since the catnip.

Eventually Sasha and Connie leave, and the moment Eren shuts the door and turns around, Levi is a person again. Albeit a person with cat ears and a tail.

He's reclining on the couch, arms draped over the backrest. He's naked, and giving Eren the strangest grin.

"Hey, Levi," Eren says carefully, trying not to look at his crotch.

"Eren," Levi says. "Ereeeeennnn. Did you… Have you ever noticed how beautiful Sasha is?"

"Um… yeah, she's a lovely person," Eren says. "Are you alright, Levi?"

Suddenly the look on Levi's face changes from one of exaggerated joy to one of intense worry, and Eren feels his stomach drop.

"Well," Levi says seriously, sitting up to face him, "I don't know about alright, but I'm certainly not _all-left_."

There's a pause as Levi stares at Eren and Eren stares back. Then Eren jumps as Levi bursts into hysterical laughter and flops back onto the couch.  
  
After a minute or so of this, Levi stops and looks at Eren in annoyance. "That was a joke, Eren," he says as if he's talking to a child. "You should be laughing."

Eren doesn't know what to say to this. "Uh…"

"Wait," Levi says. "I'm left-handed, so I guess it's not that funny. Oh well, I laughed anyway. I had fun, and that's all that's important. Right, Eren?"

"…Sure?" says Eren.

"Good, I'm glad we can agree," says Levi. Then he beams, standing to face Eren. "I'm so glad I live with you, Eren. You're the best. Can we cuddle?" He stretches his arms in an open invitation.

"Sure, just, um… can you put on some clothes first, buddy?" Eren says.

Levi blinks and looks down. Then- and Eren would never believe this if he didn't see it for himself- Levi actually _giggles._ "I'm naked!" he says with delight. "Well, this is embarrassing. Excuse me." And with that, he pads into the office, leaving Eren standing speechless in the living room.

After a few minutes, Levi returns wearing only a pair of black leggings that hang low enough for his tail to stick out above the top. "Ready for the cuddling!" he announces.

Eren swallows audibly.

After some thought, he decides to play along and hope the catnip will wear off overnight. So he allows Levi to tug him into his own bedroom.

Levi leaps on the bed first, looking back at Eren expectantly. Eren sighs and crawls onto the bed to lay beside him, gently draping an arm over him while still keeping a few inches of space between their bodies. But Levi proceeds to scoot backward, until there isn't any space between them.

His ass is pushing into Eren's thighs, and his tail is- holy _shit_ \- between Eren's legs. He's purring.

If Eren can't keep his body in check this time, he doesn't think he'll ever be able to forgive himself.  
  
For an agonizingly long time, he lies there, trying to relax by keeping his breathing in rhythm with Levi's. Finally, he decides that Levi's in a deep enough sleep for him to leave. He carefully rolls out of the bed, pausing only to delicately extract Levi's tail from between his legs.

He doesn't want Levi to wake up with Eren all over him, especially if Levi doesn't remember what happened. So after a couple hours of video games and tv, he decides to sleep in Levi's bed tonight.

 

* * *

 

 

In the morning he wakes up, at first completely confused about why he's in Levi's bed. Then the events of last night come rushing back, and he leaps off the couch/bed to go check on Levi.

Levi is still asleep in Eren's bed. This is odd. Levi normally wakes up before Eren. "I'm not a morning person, but you're fucking ridiculously bad at waking up," is what he always says.  
  
For a horrible moment, Eren wonders if Levi's dead. Then Levi lets out a long sigh, and Eren relaxes. He steps forward and lays a hand on Levi's shoulder. "Levi?" he says, gently shaking him.

Levi's sleeping deeply, and Eren has to shake him quite firmly before he stirs. "Mmm…" he groans, arching his back in a stretch, before turning and opening his eyes to look at Eren in confusion. "Where am I?"

"My room," Eren says.

"Oh…" It takes a second, but Levi's eyes open fully. "Oh, shit, I'm… yeah, I haven't had catnip in a while. Sorry about that."

Eren lets out a breath that he wasn't aware he was holding. "You scared me half to death!" he scolds.

"Chill out, I'm fine," Levi says. "Catnip kinda hits me like pot."

"Yeah, I noticed," huffs Eren. "I was freaking out, Levi!"

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry, really," Levi says, his tail rubbing up against Eren's arm reassuringly. "If I ever do it again, I'll warn you, alright?"

"Oh no," Eren says sharply, "I'm not having a drug-abusing catman living with me."

"It's just catnip!"

"You were high as a kite!" Eren says. "Promise me you won't do it again."

Levi sighs, rubs his chin, darts his eyes around. "Fine," he finally says. "I promise."

 

* * *

 

 

  
One Friday when Mikasa and Armin are coming over for a little while before they go out to a movie, Eren asks Levi if he'd like to stay in human form and meet them properly.

"I don't know, Eren," Levi says, sitting on the couch and watching Eren getting ready. "I really don't like people that much, no matter what form I'm in."

"Come on," Eren coaxes, giving Levi the biggest puppy-dog eyes he can, "We're not gonna tell them you're a shapeshifter or anything." He's shirtless, having ripped off his ratty t-shirt in the hopes of finding a clean one. But so far his search has been in vain.

"Well _obviously_  we're not gonna tell them," Levi says impertinently.

"Yeah! So what's wrong with it?" Eren asks, turning to face Levi. Levi's staring at him with a strange intensity, but when he sees Eren looking at him, he turns away with a huff of breath. "Dude, what's your problem?"

"Would you- would it kill you to put on a goddamn shirt?" says Levi, folding his arms and making the oddest expression. His cheeks look a bit pink, but maybe it's just a trick of the light.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Eren says. "I'm just looking for a clean one-"

"I hung a few in your closet yesterday," says Levi. "Did you not even think of checking there?"

Eren hurries to his closet, throws on the nearest shirt, and runs back in the room. "You're avoiding the question, Levi," he accuses. "I want you to properly meet my best friends. Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Eren, _no._ "

"Pleeeeeease?"

"…Fine."

So when they hear the knock on the door and Armin's excited cry of "We're here!", Levi looks nervously at Eren but doesn't shift. He stays seated on the coach as Eren runs to answer the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter their relationship shall advance even more!!! oh and levi and mikasa almost kill each other but i'm sure ya'll were expecting that hehehe
> 
> Comments and critiques are very much appreciated!!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa and Levi take to each other about as terribly as you'd expect. Armin mediates. And then... Eren's subconscious gives him a very clear message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHO'S TRASH? I'M TRASH  
> *coughs* the rating is gonna start making sense

He flings open the door with a cheery, "Hey, guys!"

"Hey," they say in unison. Armin's beaming, and even Mikasa has a small smile on her face as they walk inside.

Their smiles change to looks of surprise and confusion when they see Levi. "Hey, I didn't know you had someone over," says Armin.

"Oh yeah!" says Eren, "This is Le-"

"I'm Eli," Levi says loudly, giving Eren a look of panicked warning.

Right. No connections can be made between cat!Levi and human Levi. Eren can't believe he forgot. "Yeah, Eli. He's a friend of mine I met through work."

"Nice to meet you," Armin says, sticking out a hand, "I'm-"

"Armin, I know," Levi says cordially as he shakes the offered hand. "Eren's told me a lot about you."

"Yeah, he's got this really embarrassing crush on me," Armin says jokingly, and Levi actually chuckles at that.

Eren rolls his eyes, but he's happy they're getting along. Maybe they'll all be friends, and-

"And you're Mikasa," Levi says, without a trace of amity in his tone. Eren winces. Clearly Levi has not forgiven Mikasa for the nasty comments about giving him away.

Mikasa nods coolly. "Hi. Aren't you a little young to be working as a waiter?"

Levi stiffens. "Older than you, for your information."

"Sorry," Mikasa says, not sounding sorry at all. "I haven't met many grown men below 5'5".

"Well," responds Levi, "I haven't met any frigid bitches in my life, but there's always a first time for everything."

There's a short silence.

Armin looks imploringly at Eren, who steps forward and forces a laugh. "You guys… You know I always thought you two were so alike?"

"Oh, I definitely see that," agrees Armin with a somewhat hysterical giggle. Mikasa and Levi glare at them in unison, both clearly offended at the suggestion, while only proving Eren's statement.

"Anyway," Eren says hurriedly, "I just need to grab my stuff and we can go."

"Wait, Eren, don't leave-" says Armin.

But Eren dashes to his room, saying, "I'll be back in a sec!"

He grabs his wallet and keys and hurries out to rejoin them, just in time to hear Mikasa ask, "So, Eli. How long have you known Eren?"

"A long time," Levi says smugly, "We're quite close. Right, Eren?" Eren starts when Levi grabs his arm and sneaks under it, so he's essentially wrapped his arm around Levi's shoulders.

"Right…" he says, giving Levi a small squeeze before letting go.

"So, Eren, uh… where's Levi?" Armin says quickly, putting his calming hand on Mikasa's, which is currently balled into a fist.

This distracts her enough to relax her hand."Yeah, where is that little freak, anyway?" she asks.

"Uhhh, right, my cat, Levi!" Eren says wildly, looking to Levi for help. But Levi is giving Mikasa the stink eye for her 'little freak' comment, and isn't being helpful at all. "Well… Levi is at the vet! Yeah, Levi's at the vet. Thanks for reminding me, I have to pick him up after we hang out."

"Is he sick?" Armin asks.

"No! Uh… he's getting… neutered," says Eren.

Levi shoots a glare at him. "No, he's not," he says through gritted teeth. "He's getting a check up, remember?"

"Yeah… a check up," Eren says. Armin and Mikasa are both looking at them in confusion. "Anyway, we should go. Gotta make it to the movie with enough time to buy popcorn and stuff. See ya later, Lev- ELI!" he says, pushing his two friends out the door.

"Bye, Eren," Levi says with a large amount of amusement as Eren slams the door shut. "

I hate him," Mikasa immediately informs Eren.

"He can still hear you, Mikasa!" Eren says.

Mikasa shrugs. "Ok."

Armin sighs as they begin to walk toward the elevator. "Well, you should've expected this, Eren. Eli seems nice enough, but Mikasa and him are not a good combination."

"Tell me something I don't know," says Eren as they get in the elevator. "Mikasa, you could've been nicer!"

"I'll be nicer when that shortie is nicer," Mikasa says.

There's a pause when the elevator doors open. They make their way to Eren's car, and once they are all comfortable situated inside (Eren driving, Armin's got shotgun, Mikasa stretched out in the backseat), Eren turns on the radio and finds a song they all like, hoping to drop the conversation.

But Mikasa is deep in thought. "Something about him is so unpleasantly familiar…" she muses. Eren's blood runs cold.

"Let's just go to the movie and forget about it," says Armin diplomatically.

"Yeah," Eren says gratefully, "Let's talk about something else, like how dumb Jean's profile picture on Facebook looks right now."

"You mean the one with him shirtless and wearing sunglasses?" asks Mikasa.

"Yeah, what a fucking douchebag," Eren says with a snort.

Armin giggles. "Marco, Sasha, and Bert keep trying to force him to take it down, but Connie, Reiner, Krista, and Ymir say they like it. There's a poll up on Facebook now, actually."

"Oh, really?" Eren says, perking up, "Remind me to vote."

They don't talk about Levi again, and Eren enjoys a perfectly wonderful night out with his two best friends.

When he gets home after dropping them off, Levi's lying on his stomach and reading a book on the couch. His ears and tail are out, and his tail is twitching back and forth. He turns to face Eren with a smirk on his face. "So that went well," he says.

"Did you _have_ to call her a frigid bitch?" says Eren despairingly.

"She didn't have to call me short," Levi points out.

"Well… whatever," says Eren lamely, collapsing on the couch next to Levi. He's too tired to put up a fight about it.

"How was your night?" says Levi.

"Fun," says Eren, "How was yours?"

"Looked for my pack for a while. Nothing," says Levi gloomily. "Eren… at this point, the chances of them being alive…"

"Levi, you can't give up hope yet," Eren says firmly. He holds out his arms almost on instinct, and Levi comes into them, sitting sideways on Eren's lap. "You'll find them. If they're anywhere near as smart as you, and from what you've told me they clearly are, then they're alright, and just hiding somewhere."

Levi turns to face him, eyes slightly red and drippy. "But what if-"

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you want," Eren says. "I won't kick you out, Levi. You know I won't do that."

Levi nods slowly. "Thanks, Eren," he says.

"Oh, don't think it's for _your_ benefit," Eren says jokingly, "I'm just so used to you cooking and cleaning, it's like-"

"Ok, ok, fuck you," huffs Levi as he shoves Eren's hands away and stands up, but he's smiling. "I'm really sweaty and gross," he says as he takes off his shirt and throws it over his shoulder. "I'm gonna take a shower. Good night."

"Night," Eren says.

 

* * *

 

 

He's in his bedroom, but it's not his bedroom. The bedclothes, normally a forest green, are now a cheetah print. He's sitting at the foot of the bed, his feet on the floor, staring directly across the room.

Suddenly he hears the jingle of a bell, and something furry brushes against his leg. When did Levi get a collar, let alone a collar with a bell on it?

He ignores Levi, instead choosing to continue staring across the room. Suddenly, instead of fur against his shins, he feels skin. He finally looks down to see a human Levi with cat ears and tail, naked but for a black satin ribbon hung with a silver bell tied around his neck. He's still rubbing against Eren's legs.

"Levi," he says slowly, "What're you doing?"

Levi only meows in reply. Then he jumps onto Eren, slamming him down on the bed and licking and nibbling at his face.

"Levi!" Eren says again, this time with a bit more urgency, "What are you doing?"

Levi pauses his nibbling, makes eye contact with Eren. Suddenly, his ears and tail are gone. The collar's gone, too.

"Sorry, Eren. Force of habit," Levi says.

"It's ok," says Eren. "We all have to start somewhere."

"Exactly!" says Levi. "You always understand." Then he dips down to meet Eren's lips in a proper kiss.

Eren responds with great fervor, placing his hands on Levi's back to pull their bodies flush together. Then Levi starts rubbing his ass against Eren's crotch, and Eren tilts his head back and groans, and… and…

…And he wakes up in bed, the covers in complete disarray. He's unbelievably warm. And sweaty. And sticky.

He curses out loud as he rips off his gross boxers and searches for clean ones. This is not the first time he's had a dream like this since Levi crawled in his bed, but it _is_ the first time it's escalated to him coming in his sleep like a goddamn teenager.

This can no longer be avoided, he realizes grimly. He's got a crush on the guy who used to be his pet cat, and there's a special circle in hell with his name on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sOOO SORRY


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi try to have a Talk. And... well... they're not really all that great at talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry

After that, Eren doesn't go back to sleep. After all, it's almost six o' clock in the morning. He'll have to get up soon anyway. Instead, he takes out his laptop and tries to distract himself by watching a couple episodes of the latest show he's binging. But any time there's a mention of pets, or cats, or sex, or love… well, Eren gives up on that eventually.

Out of a combination of sleep deprivation and hysterical panic, he googles 'what do i do if i have a crush on my cat'. The results are several people asking whether it's legal to marry a cat, and some facts about what to do if you have a crush. He supposes he's lucky that no freakish porn turned up.

He manages to act relatively normal at breakfast, although Levi still asks him if he's alright.

All day at work, while he's waiting tables, Eren debates what he's going to do about this situation. Finally, he decides that the first thing he should do is be honest.

So the moment he gets home and finds Levi eating a cup of applesauce at the table, he says, "Levi, I need to talk to you about something."

Levi looks surprised. "Ok," he says, patting the chair next to his, "Take a seat?"

Eren does, sitting sideways in the chair so he can face Levi directly.

"So what's up?" Levi asks, shoving a spoonful of applesauce into his mouth.

Eren takes a deep breath. "Levi, I like you as more than a friend," he blurts. 

Levi chokes on the applesauce, and Eren patiently waits for him to stop coughing. "You _what_?" he finally gasps, tears in his eyes.

"Levi, I like you as more than a friend," Eren repeats. "And I have no idea what to do about it."          

"So are you saying you want to get in my pants, or go on a date?" Levi asks. 

Eren thinks for a second. "…Both?" he finally says. "I really like you, Levi. And I know it's so fucked up, it's so fucked up, if you want to move I'd understand, and-"

"Eren! Calm the fuck down," Levi orders. Eren falls silent. He watches as Levi scratches the back of his neck awkwardly before saying, "I don't think it's fucked up."

"What? But-" 

"I don't think it's fucked up," Levi repeats, "Because I really like you, too."

There's a short silence.

"You mean, like, as more than a friend?" Eren asks finally.

"Yes."

"Oh."

There's another short silence.

"You don't have to lie to me to make me feel better," Eren says.

Levi glares at him. "Why the fuck would I say something like that if I didn't mean it? Don't use that tone of voice with me. You just realized you liked me? Please! I've liked you since maybe a week after you found me, so don't talk about…" His voice trails off and his eyes widen as he seems to realize what he just said.

It feels like Eren's heart is swelling. "You've liked me for that long?" he asks incredulously. 

"Tch… yeah, it's been that long," Levi admits reluctantly. "I didn't say anything because you'd think it was weird…"

"Well it is! It is weird," Eren protests. "It's fucking weird as fuck! It's like… bestiality! We're both really fucked up!" 

Levi shrugs. "Not necessarily," he says. "There are a ton of cases where shapeshifters shack up with humans."

"Really?" Eren says doubtfully.

"Yeah," Levi says reassuringly. Delicately he rises from his chair. Before Eren realizes what going on, Levi's straddled his lap. "It's ok, Eren," he purrs as he slides his hands up Eren's body to knead at his chest, "It's perfectly alright." He begins to nuzzle at Eren's neck. 

Eren's leaning his body backward. His hands are up and hovering over Levi, unsure what to do with them. Levi feels so soft and good on his lap, on his chest, on his neck. More than anything he wants to pull Levi close.

And he's almost about to do it, too, until he sees that Levi has grown ears and a tail, and the inhumanness of this comes rushing back. 

"Levi, no, I'm sorry, we can't," Eren says, grabbing underneath Levi's armpits to haul him off his lap and back up a few feet, nearly tripping over the table. "I'm sorry, I want to, I do, but…" 

"Eren." Levi looks pissed off now. "You want to do this. I want to do this. So I have these," he gestures to his ears and flicks his tail, "So what? I'm not asking you to fuck me when I'm in full cat form." 

"I just… Levi, it's really weird," Eren protests. "I'm not saying _you're_ weird, but shouldn't you find someone in your own kind?" 

"But I don't _want_  someone who's my own kind," says Levi with a pout, taking his tail in his hand and twirling it as he continues speaking. "I want _you_."

"I just-"

"God, Eren, I've wanted you so bad," Levi says, the frustration audible in his voice. "So so bad. And for so long. You idiot, you kept me waiting so long thinking that it was hopeless, and now you expect me to ignore it when you tell me that you like me back?"

"No! I just… I don't know!" Eren says desperately. "Levi, it's just… I don't…" He's trying to maintain his self control, but the more Levi talks about wanting him, the harder it is to remember that it's wrong to think cat ears and tails are sexy. 

Oh sweet lord, when did he start thinking that Levi's cat ears and tail are sexy? Because they are, shit, they really are. He wants to touch them. God, he wants to put his hands all over Levi, he wants to taste him…

"Eren," Levi says, shaking him out of his trance, "I'm not going to force you to do anything. But if you like me, and I like you, I just don't see why we can't do this." 

"I'm sorry, Levi, but-"

"And," Levi adds, "If you keep refusing, I'm going to move out."

At first Eren thinks it's a joke, but Levi looks completely serious. "What?" Eren says.

"I've wasted so much time here like a fucking idiot," Levi says quietly, "Because of… my feelings. For you. And I can't mooch off of you forever. I'll go, I'll look for my pack, I'll be fine on my own." 

Eren glares at him. "Levi…" he says, "That's not fair." 

"Yeah? So's your reason for not fucking me," says Levi. 

"That's the stupidest most irrational thing I've ever heard!" Eren can't believe how immature Levi's being. "I mean you- wait. Wait a minute. Are you trying to get me mad enough to lapse my judgment?" he growls.

"Is it working?" asks Levi, and for the love of god, he's  _smirking._  

That's it. The final straw. Eren quickly closes the distance between himself and Levi, who's completely ready for him, reaching up on tiptoes to grab Eren's hair and meet his mouth in a fierce kiss.

Eren wraps his left arm around Levi's waist, grabs the back of Levi's neck with his right hand to better focus the kiss. Just like in his dreams, Levi's a great kisser, licking into Eren's mouth with a careful passion that makes Eren even hotter. He kisses back strongly, so strongly that he pushes Levi back into the dining room table.

But Levi doesn't mind, simply places his palms on the table and heaves himself up on it, making it all the easier to continue the kiss. He makes a few noises of protest when Eren begins to gently bite at his lips, but all he does is dig his nails in to Eren's scalp, arms, back, wherever he's latching on. The pinpricks of pain only make Eren more keen to bite.         

After a few minutes, Eren gets greedy, sliding his hands under Levi's shirt. Levi plays along, lifting his hands up so that the shirt can be taken off him and thrown to the side.

"Eren," he says breathlessly as Eren's hands knead the muscles of his back, "Bed."

"Too far," grunts Eren, scooping Levi up by the waist. Levi wraps his legs tightly around Eren's hips and wraps his arms around Eren's neck.

Eren drops Levi on the couch, pushes a knee between Levi's thighs for balance, and their mouths meet again. Eren takes the opportunity to run his hands over Levi's chest, skimming over the smooth skin until he finds Levi's nipples. Levi grabbed Eren's hair the moment their lips met, and the more Eren plays with him, the more he pulls.

Eren likes the feeling of his hair being tugged, and he grunts in approval as he moves his mouth down to Levi's neck and sucks bruises in Levi's skin. Levi moans his approval and humps Eren's knee, clearly desperate for more contact. So Eren moves a hand down between their bodies to unbutton and unzip the fly of Levi's tight skinny jeans. Then he plunges a hand into Levi's underwear and grips Levi's cock firmly.

Levi inhales sharply, letting out a small groan on the exhale. "Oh no," he says, "Not just me." So Eren helps Levi bring out his own cock, and Levi's grip is cool on his heated arousal.

For a few minutes the two of them jerk each other's dicks, periodically bringing their mouths together for sloppy kisses. Then Eren gets impatient, and thrusts his hips so that their cocks are directly touching, and this makes both of them cry out with pleasure.      

Now they're writhing together on the couch. Eren's putting his mouth on every bit of Levi's skin that he can, and Levi has his arms thrown over Eren's shoulders.

He's pleasantly surprised at how vocal Levi is. A lot of it is just moans, but occasionally words and phrases spill out. Mostly Eren's name, or 'yes', or 'god'. 

But at a certain point, Levi says, "Oh, Eren, fuck me!" in a high, eager voice.

Eren feels a burst of feral energy, and without stopping the movement of his hips he slides a hand under Levi and slips into Levi's underwear to grab his ass and squeeze. "Not right now," he growls in Levi's ear, "But believe me, I'm planning on it."

"Er- _ah_!" says Levi, and then Eren feels him start to come, hot and slick, between their bodies. He waits as Levi whimpers and shudders out his orgasm, waits as Levi stills and sighs, breathing still erratic.

Then Levi wraps his hand around Eren's cock with renewed vigor, and licks passionately at Eren's neck with a hot, raspy tongue. It takes Eren only a few more seconds to come, sinking his teeth into Levi's neck as he gets lost in the white heat of his orgasm.

When he comes to, Levi is gently shoving his chest. He realizes he's crushing the smaller man, so he wraps an arm around Levi and carefully maneuvers them so that his back is on the couch and Levi's resting against his chest. Humming pleasantly, Levi rubs his head against Eren's chest, and Eren places a kiss on Levi's forehead in response.

"Gotta say, I kind of feel pissed off knowing that we could've been doing this for a while now," Eren says with a sheepish laugh. 

"Mmm," agrees Levi, leisurely stroking Eren's bicep. "Guess we'll just have to make up for lost time, huh?"

"Duh," Eren says, "But how about a proper date first? We could go to dinner and a movie tonight."

Levi picks his head up and props it on Eren's chest so he can make eye contact. "Could you be any more clichéd?" he says, but Eren sees his small smile. 

"What restaurant and what movie, you jerk," Eren says, lightly slapping Levi's cheek before stroking his face.

"I don't care," Levi says, pushing his face into Eren's hand. "I trust you not to pick anything that sucks." 

"Sounds good. So dinner at like 6:30, and movie at 8?"

"Yep." 

A short silence.

"I really like you, Levi." 

"Likewise."

Silence for a few minutes.

"Ok, this is getting gross. We need to shower." Levi wriggles out of Eren's arms, stands up and stretches intensely. 

"Levi," Eren whines, his cock giving a painful twitch at the sight of Levi stretching.

"What?"

"You got up… I wasn't done cuddling yet…"

Levi rolls his eyes. "Tough," he says, "Showering is more important." Eren makes an exaggerated pout, and Levi sighs. "I swear to god, you're five years old." Then he leaves the room.

Eren remains on the couch, grinning at the ceiling for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm rlly sorry
> 
> i'm so bad at writing smut why do i do it so much


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The nerdlords go on a date, and have a little fun afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ughhhh this chapter is so fluffy and cute... too cute... i just really like cute ereri /shoots self

There's a bit of time to kill before their date.

Eren calls Sasha to make plans to go out to lunch next week, and Levi writes (a habit he's taken up lately).

At 6:10, Eren gets changed. As he's pulling on his loafers, he hears Levi call, and hurries to grab his things.

"Sorry!" he says when he gets to the door. "I'm here, I'm ready."

"It's about time," Levi says. Then his eyes widen as he looks at Eren properly. "You changed," he says.

"Oh…" Eren says with a shrug, "Yeah." After his shower, he was wearing comfy old jeans and a t shirt. Now he's wearing black dress pants, a dark green button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and dark brown loafers. He's also put on a bit of dark brown eyeliner.

"You look very nice," says Levi.  
  
"Thanks."

Levi frowns. "I should change…"

"No! No, you look great," Eren says sincerely. Then he grins. "You're wearing the sweater."

Levi sighs and fingers the hem of his sweater, mumbling, "Well, it's soft, and you got it for me, so…"

The sweater he's wearing is the sweater that Eren snuck into his shopping cart in the thrift shop so long ago. It's deep blue with light pink embellishments that include the outline of a large cat and the word 'meow' in all caps. It's a little large on him, the neckline wide enough to show a hint of his collarbones, the sleeves hanging just a tad too far over his hands, and the hem almost completely covering his crotch. Besides that, he's wearing gray skinny jeans and his black ankle boots, and Eren is pretty sure he's put on mascara and lip gloss in addition to his usual black eyeliner.

"I love it," says Eren, "And you look beautiful."

"Tch," says Levi, blushing a bit. "I'm hungry. Are we gonna go fuckin' eat, or what?"

"Sure," Eren says, smiling even larger.

 

* * *

 

The restaurant Eren chose is a casual Italian restaurant. It's a lovely evening, so they choose to sit outside.

"They have great bread," Eren says when the waiter brings over a bread basket.

"Sweet," Levi says, reaching into the basket to pick up a long, thin roll and pop it into his mouth. Noticing Eren watching him, his eyes twinkle mischievously and he pulls the roll out of his mouth, only to push it back in slowly, wrapping his lips around it.

Eren narrows his eyes as he feels his cock twitch in his pants. "You're a jerk," he says quietly.

Levi smugly hums in agreement around the bread. In retaliation, Eren reaches across the table and gently pushes the bread further into Levi's mouth. He does this until Levi can't take any more bread in and chokes, batting Eren's hand away and biting down harshly on the bread, ripping it in half. As he chews, he glares at Eren, and Eren glares back, and Eren is two seconds away from pushing everything off the table and slamming Levi down to fuck his brains out.  
  
Once Levi swallows, he licks his lips and mutters, "We don't have to see a movie. We could just go home, and…"

And Eren knows Levi is just as turned on as he is. "No," he says wistfully, "Already bought tickets to the movie."

Levi grumbles, nods, and looks at the menu.

Eren ends up getting margarita pizza, and Levi gets seafood pasta. Eren makes a couple cat jokes about Levi getting fish pasta, Levi kicks him under the table, and they try a bit of each other's food.

"Don't you think that guy with the red shirt sitting at that table with the platinum blonde guy looks like a shaved gorilla?" Levi asks.

"Levi!" Eren scolds, craning his neck to see the guy Levi's referring to, "Do you have to make fun of people for- oh my god, I've seen gorillas that look more human than that guy…"

When they're finished eating, they bicker over how much to tip. Levi wants to do fifteen percent, Eren's arguing for twenty. In the end, they settle on seventeen.

"So what'd you think of the restaurant?" Eren asks as they walk towards the movie theatre.

"It was a good choice," says Levi, "I'm not surprised. You can't cook worth shit, but you like my food so you have good taste."

Eren smiles. "Thanks."

"What movie are we seeing again?"

"Oh, um… some action movie. I forget the name. It's supposed to be not that great."

Levi raises an eyebrow. "Our first date and you're taking me to a shitty movie?"

Eren shrugs. "I thought that we could make fun of it and/or make out?" he says nervously.

He's relieved to see a small smile form on Levi's face. "You're a kickass date," Levi says.

"You, too."

The movie is indeed terrible, and Eren and Levi have a whale of a time tearing it to pieces while taking breaks to furiously make out in the back row of the theatre. By the last quarter of the movie, Levi has taken up permanent residence in Eren's lap, not even bothering to face the screen. Between kisses and sighs, Eren narrates the plot in hoarse whispers, and Levi responds with harsh insults before pushing his mouth against Eren's once again.

"I'm shocked we weren't kicked out of the movie theatre," Eren says as they walk back to the car.

Levi shrugs. "They knew that movie was shit, too," he says.

"How would you know," teases Eren as he pokes Levi's side. "You watched almost none of it."

"A choice with no regrets," Levi replies, reaching the car and trying to open the passenger door even though he hasn't unlocked it yet. "Now are you gonna unlock this shitty door so we can go home and fuck, or what?"

To Eren, the drive home seems to take hours. Levi only makes it worse by gently running a hand over his inner thigh.

He gets more and more bold until Eren, his hands white-knuckled on the wheel, warns that they're going to get in a horrible car accident if Levi can't keep his hands to himself for five goddamn minutes.

As soon as they step into the apartment and shut the door, Levi kicks off his shoes and pounces on Eren as if he's climbing a tree. Eren nearly topples backward, unprepared for Levi's momentum, but thankfully there's a wall behind him he can fall back on for support. They kiss for a while, Levi grinding his ass against Eren's erection.

Then Levi cranes his neck to put his mouth to Eren's ear. "Let me down," he growls.  
  
Eren does, and before he can regain his breath, he turns to see Levi scampering away. By the time Eren follows him into the bedroom, Levi has taken off his pants and underwear, rolling around on the bed clad only in the cat sweater.

"Someone's excited," Eren says.  
  
"Mmm," says Levi crawling to the edge of the bed to wrap his arms around Eren's torso and pull him onto the bed. "Someone else made me wait _years_  for this. And that same someone else put so many hickies and bitemarks on my neck and shoulders that I could barely cover them in makeup, which caused me to have a hard-on for the entire date."  
  
"Shame on me," Eren says as he's pushed on his back and straddled. He strokes Levi's smooth white thighs reverently, looking up with a smirk. "Whatcha gonna do about it, kitty cat?"

Levi presses a firm kiss to Eren's lips, then licks them briefly. "Something you'll like," he says lifting up Eren's shirt and starting a trail of kisses down Eren's torso that ends with a peck right above the waistband of Eren's dress pants. Then he unfastens the pants and pulls Eren's length out.

"Babe, you don't have to- _fuck_ ," Eren says, arching his back as Levi begins to hungrily mouth up the length of his dick. He's forced to grip Levi's hair for support as Levi begins to suck, bobbing his head periodically and twirling his tongue. It's very clear that Levi's an expert, but Eren's jealousy takes a back seat to probably the best blow job he's ever had.

So good, in fact, that he nearly shrieks in protest when Levi pulls away before he can come.

"I don't want to get this sweater messy," explains Levi, sliding it over his head as he gets up to put it on the dresser. Then he gets on the bed and resumes working on Eren's dick, even more intently than before.

Eren tries to hold back his orgasm as long as he can, but when he massages Levi's head and Levi starts purring in response, the vibrations around his dick are far too much for him to take.

When he regains his senses, Levi's straddled his stomach and is slowly pumping his own cock, moaning continuously.

"No," says Eren, lifting himself into a seated position, "Let me…" He bats Levi's hand away and soon brings Levi to a loud and shivery climax.

Then Eren takes off his pants and shirt, leaving him in just his boxers, and pulls Levi down to lie next to him. They spoon for a while, Eren's chest against Levi's back, until Levi says, "I wanna shower."

Eren groans, holding Levi tighter against his chest. "You already showered today."

"I wanna shower again," says Levi, halfheartedly struggling in Eren's grip.

"Nah," says Eren, "It's against the law to shower twice in one day."

"You're an idiot. And I'm using up all of your hot water tomorrow" says Levi, but he ceases his struggling and relaxes in Eren's arms. "I'm guessing it's alright if I stay in your bed tonight?"

"Duh," says Eren, tugging at Levi's ear with his lips. After a few more minutes, he says, "Hey, Levi?"

"What."

"Are we... do you want... I mean-"

"What."

"Do you wanna go out with me? Like... properly? Be my boyfriend and all that?"

Levi doesn't respond for a while, and Eren's stomach tightens with nerves. Finally, Levi says, "Eren... I'd be a shitty boyfriend."

This is exactly the opposite of what Eren thought he would say. "What?"

"I'd be a shitty boyfriend," Levi repeats, turning to face him.

"Levi, that is _not_ true-"

"Trust me, it is."

"Well, I'n also a shitty boyfriend," Eren shoots back. "So we suit each other."

Levi tilts his head to the side, regarding Eren carefully. "Even though I'm a ca-"

"If you could turn into a blue whale I'd still want you as my boyfriend," Eren interrupts.

Levi sighs deeply before mumbling, "Ok."

"Ok, you'll think about it, or...?"

"Ok. I'm your boyfriend."

Eren grins widely, afraid to believe it. "So... we're boyfriends?"

"We're boyfriends."

"Yayyyyyy!" Eren says softly, kissing whatever bit of Levi's skin he can.

"Quit it," mumbles Levi, but Eren can hear in his voice that he's smiling. "It's sleep time now."

"Yeah, but it's _boyfriend_ sleep time!"

"You're a giant nerd."

"Don't you mean your _boyfriend_ is a giant nerd?"

"I'm going to shove you out of the bed."

"You mean you're going to shove your _boyfriend_ out of- OW!"

Eren rubs his ass and winces as he gets back in the bed. "Leviii, you didn't have to push that hard," he whines.

Levi cracks an eye open. "Are you gonna shut up and sleep, or what?"

Eren huffs. "Fine. But I wanna be the little spoon."

"No can do," Levi says immediately. "I'm always the little spoon."

"Oh you are, huh?" Eren says. He resignedly puts an arm around Levi's waist as Levi snuggles close to him.  
  
"Yep. My street name was Little-Spoon Levi. True story."

"Your jokes are terrible."

"I'll stop if you sleep."

"Alright, sounds like a plan."

"Goodnight, asshole."

"Goodnight, boyfriend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are very much appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't even put a summary for this because im so done
> 
> this chapter is literally just neko!sex. i am a piece of genuine trash and i am going to hell

  
"Levi," Eren says one day as they're cuddling on the couch. He has one arm around his boyfriend, and the other has just been reaching absentmindedly for Levi's tail, only to see it flick away from his grasp and disappear, along with Levi's ears.

"What?" says Levi, his eyes glued on the television.

"Umm…" Eren's trying to find the right way to say this. "Why do you always put your ears and tail away when we're close?"

Levi turns to face him in surprise. "What?" he says again.

"You, um, just never let me touch them… but you've used your tail to trip me like all the time. So I figure it doesn't hurt… is it just uncomfortable?"

"Eren," Levi says, an odd expression on his face, "I-"

"If it's too personal, you don't need to answer!" says Eren hurriedly, wishing he never opened his mouth about it in the first place.

"Shut up," Levi says with a roll of his eyes. "Eren, I thought my ears and tail made _you_ uncomfortable."

"What? Why?" Eren says, dumbfounded.

Levi shrugs. "You almost didn't go out with me because of my cat thing. I figured if I lose control when we're having sex or something, that would freak you out."

"Oh, Levi…" Eren feels terrible. "I don't want to make you feel bad about who you are. It's not that your cat-ness freaks me out. It was the premise of dating a cat that I was having trouble dealing with. I was chicken, and I'm over that, now!"

"That's… thank you, Eren, I really appreciate it," says Levi sincerely. Then he shrugs. "But I can hold in the ears and tail if I concentrate, so don't worry about it."

"No, first of all, you shouldn't have to curb yourself for my benefit," Eren says firmly. Then he looks away from Levi's gaze, feeling his ears grow hot as he continues "And second of all… um, I… your ears and tail are-"

"Spit it out, brat," Levi says. But there's a gleam in his eyes as if he knows what Eren's going to say.

Eren huffs out an embarrassed breath, then blurts, "I think it's hot, ok?"  
  
Now Levi's grinning. "I thought I looked like one of those 'people who puts on animal costumes to fuck', or something?" he says.

"Levi, I'm sorry," moans Eren, "I-"

"I'm just messing with you," Levi says, and suddenly he's got ears and a tail again. He moves his tail right in front of Eren's face. "You wanna touch it? Go ahead and touch it."

Eren stares at the tail. It's sleek and black. He's definitely been thinking about touching it for a while now. "You sure?" he asks.

"Go for it," says Levi.

So Eren carefully takes the tail in his hands, stroking it, watching as the fur sticks up when he strokes it the wrong way. At first he only touches the upper half of the tail, but the more he pets it the more curious he gets. So he moves his hands down the tail, towards where it sticks out just above Levi's backside.

As he reaches the very beginning of the tail, he hears a sudden _mmnnh_ noise. Eren looks up to see Levi's face turning a delicious red, while Levi has placed a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound. His normally sharp blue-grey eyes look a bit unfocused.

Eren feels a rush of heat in his groin. "You ok, Levi?"

"Fine," says Levi, taking a big breath of air. "It's… sensitive."

"Want me to stop?" Oh god, he really doesn't want to stop. He's almost certainly a perverted freak for reacting so strongly to this, but the idea of Levi's tail being an erogenous zone makes him so turned on that he's already finding it hard to breathe evenly.

"Fuck you, just fucking keep going," says Levi, smacking Eren's arm lightly, pushing his tail into Eren's hands.

But Eren lets go of Levi's tail completely, enjoying the frustrated sound Levi makes in reaction. Instead, he reaches up a hand to scratch behind Levi's cat ear.

"Oh, _yes_ , Eren," says Levi, pushing his head into Eren's hand.

As Eren continues to scratch, Levi's tail lazily drapes itself over his arm, and then he actually starts to purr. Eren takes a moment to look at Levi's half-closed eyes, his flushed cheeks, his satisfied hint of a smile. The sight is so arousing that Eren has to begin rubbing his groin with the heel of his palm, until he stops stroking Levi altogether.

After a second of this, Levi opens his eyes fully in annoyance. "I didn't say you could sto-"

But before Levi can finish, Eren grabs his boyfriend by the waist and carries him quickly into the bedroom, tossing him on the bed.

"Give a guy a warning, would you?" snaps Levi, but his eyes are round and eager, and his breath is now coming in pants.

Eren smirks. "Turn around," he says simply.

Levi does, sitting up on his shins. His movements are fluid, but his tail is quivering.

Carefully Eren crawls on the bed towards Levi. He places one hand behind Levi's cat ear and the other on the very beginning of Levi's tail, stroking and scratching both areas intently.

"Oh!" cries Levi, "Oh, Eren, oh god, Eren!" He reaches back to grab Eren's waist tightly, a satisfied purr rumbling in his throat. "Yes," he sighs, "More, Eren, more!"

Eren loves how much Levi says his name when they're intimate. "You want more?" he growls. "Then take your shirt off. Now."

Immediately Levi's wriggling out of his shirt and throwing it to the side. Eren lets out a pleased hum and moves forward, bending his knees to press his chest against Levi's back. He scratches at Levi's scalp with his left hand, and slips his right hand under Levi's shirt to scratch at Levi's stomach. Levi makes a breathy, pleased noise, arching his back so that his head rests against Eren's shoulder and his ass presses against Eren's crotch.   
  
"Mmm," Eren says, rocking his erection against Levi's ass, "You love this. Don't you, Levi?"

"Shit… yes," sighs Levi. "Eren, stop teasing and just _touch_ me."

"I _am_ touching you," says Eren cheekily, pinching Levi's nipple.

"Fuck!" says Levi, his body jerking in Eren's arms. "Stop being a brat, Eren, you know what I mean…"

Without further ado, Eren puts his hand down the front of Levi's pants and grips his cock, jerking it at a fast pace. Levi's head smacks onto Eren's collarbone as he cries out loudly.   
  
Then Eren lets him go, and Levi gives a strangled growl in protest. "Hold on," Eren mutters, "I've got an idea, just let me…"

He rolls off the bed, undressing quickly before reaching into the side table drawer, scrambling to find his bottle of lube. He hears an intake of breath and rolls his eyes. "Are you looking at my ass?" he says.

"Yes," Levi replies shamelessly. "Now get your hot naked ass up here and tell me what the fuck you're planning on."

"Babe, just give me a second," Eren says. "If you wanna save time, you could take off the rest of your clothes."

"Tch."

As Eren continues to rummage in the drawer, he hears the rustle of clothes. By the time he finds the lube, stands up, and turns around, Levi is naked.

"Do you- um, you want to go there?" asks Levi, eying the lube with trepidation. "Right now? Because-"

"No, sorry, don't worry," Eren assures him, getting back on the bed. "I was actually figuring we could try… um… between the thighs?"

Levi sighs. "Alright, but I'm supervising the cleanup afterwards." With that, he turns around and props himself up on his shins, knees bent, legs spread. Eren feels his mouth water as he crawls back to Levi. "And you better make damn well sure that you make this just as enjoyable for me as it is for- _ah_!"

Eren cuts Levi off by once again starting to jack Levi's cock, while trailing his other hand, now coated in lube, down Levi's inner thighs.

"It's cold, you moron," Levi grunts, moving his hips slightly in time with Eren's strokes. "You couldn't take a second to warm up the goddamn lube?"

"Sorry," mumbles Eren, nosing along Levi's jaw. "Getting warmed up now, though, right?"

"Just get your dick in between my legs," says Levi. "And you haven't touched my ears and tail in a while, you shit."

"I don't have six hands, you know!" says Eren. He puts his palm (the one not covered in lube) gently on Levi's back, and leans them both forward. Finally, he gets his dick between Levi's legs. "Can you close your legs a bit?" he asks.

"Sure thing, darling," Levi says dryly, getting on all fours to press his thighs together.

Eren lets out an appreciative moan at the sensation, gently thrusting his hips.

"This is… sooo gross…" Levi says, wrinkling his nose at the squelching sounds.

"Ok, alright, let me see that tail of yours," Eren says.

"Fucking finally," groans Levi, wrapping his tail around Eren's thigh. He lets out a whimpering noise as Eren runs a thumb over where it fuses with his skin.

They rock together in tandem. Levi's cries get louder as Eren begins to suck on his neck, and he squeezes his thighs a bit more, which makes Eren groan and tighten his grip on Levi's cock and tail, and this is how they eventually push each other over the edge.

Cleanup after this activity involves Levi forcing Eren in the bathtub. "I got this new brand of oatmeal bath I wanna try," he explains.

Eren can't remember the last time he's taken an honest-to-god bath. He prefers showers, but he has to admit it's not so bad. Especially when an 'oatmeal bath' turns out to be soothing as fuck, and even more so when Levi climbs in with him, straddling him and massaging sweet-smelling shampoo in his hair.

"Good kitty," Eren mumbles, only half-joking as he sleepily rubs Levi's lower back and tail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im s o o o o sorry


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER CAME A FEW HOURS LATE AND I'M SORRY. 
> 
> But please enjoy some more sex and Eren being a little shit!
> 
> (ooh also this is the first time i've written levi topping woooow)

  
Soon after Levi and Eren start having sex, Eren's surfing the web idly when he stumbles upon a certain shirt that he knows he absolutely must buy.

After a few days, the shirt comes. He dashes to the bedroom (passing Levi sitting on the living room couch), rips open the package, and switches the shirt he was wearing out for his new purchase. It fits perfectly, and he can't help but laugh hysterically as he sees his reflection.

"What's so fucking funny, brat?" he hears Levi yell from the living room.

"New shirt!" Eren yells back, "Wanna see?"

He hears a long sigh, before Levi says reluctantly, "I'm coming to you, brat."

"Ok!" Eren says with a giggle, as he waits for his boyfriend to enter the bedroom. Once Levi does, he throws out his arms to properly model the shirt, saying, "Check it out."

Levi's jaw drops. "What the-"

"Do ya like it? I ordered it online."

The shirt is a plain white t-shirt, with fabric that's probably of a low quality. On it, in big black letters, are the words _Sleeps With Cats_.

"Jesus christ, Eren," Levi says.

"Well _I_ think it's funny," says Eren.

" _I_ think you're a pig," replies Levi. "What happened to, 'We can't do this, it's bestiality and that's wrong'? I remember you uttering those words not so long ago."

Eren shrugs. "I've decided to embrace the insanity of our situation."

Levi smacks a palm to his forehead. "I'm dating a moron," he mutters to himself.

"Ah, yes, but a _cute_ moron," Eren coos, sidling up to Levi and gentle scratching one of his cat ears. "A cute moron you wanna kiss? And maybe have sex with?"

Levi's eyes get a bit heavy-lidded and he licks his lips, but all he says is, "I'm not doing anything with, on, or to you until you take off that stupid fuckin' shirt."

"Deal," Eren says with a smile, pulling off the shirt and throwing it aside.

Then Eren pins Levi to the bed and presses him into a furious kiss, slipping one hand under the back of Levi's shirt while his other hand cups the back of Levi's head.

Levi responds just as enthusiastically, his little mewls getting swallowed up by the kiss.

After they remove more of their clothes and roll around for a while, Eren sits back on his haunches to take a breather, wiping the saliva off of his face.

Levi lies there, chest heaving, skin flushed and glistening. Eren looks at him and has to catch his breath.

"Fuck, Levi," he says reverently, "You're so fucking beautiful when you're wrecked."

"Wrecked?" Levi says through his panting, "Wrecked? All you've done is kiss me, brat."

"That not good enough for you?" Eren asks innocently.

"No!" snaps Levi. "If you really wanna do any damage, try putting your dick in my ass!"

There's a short pause as Levi realises what he just said.

"Umm..." Eren says. "Do you... want me to do that?"

"Do you?" says Levi awkwardly.

"Well... well fuck yeah, of course I do," admits Eren. "For a long time now, I've wanted it."

Levi considers this for a second. "Ok," he says quietly.

"Are you sure?" Eren asks, "Because if you aren't ready-"

"Eren," Levi says irately, "I'm a grown man, older than you. I wouldn't say I was ready if I wasn't fuckin' ready."

"Are you _sure_?" Eren says again.

"Eren, quit the bullshit and put your goddamn dick in me!" Levi says, "I'm not going to fucking say it twice!"

"Ok, ok!" says Eren with a grin. "But I'm guessing you want some prep first, huh, babe? And maybe a condom?"

Levi glares at him. "Don't get cute with me," he growls. "Prep me. Put a condom on. Put your dick in me. I'm not going to say it three times!"

 

* * *

 

They end up in missionary, nothing exciting. But as Eren murmured in Levi's ear, "It's our first time, so it's special enough." (To which Levi replied with, "Don't be so cheesy, you fuckhead").

It's more like making love than fucking, with Eren pushing into Levi with slow, firm thrusts.

Levi's got his legs and tail desperately wrapped around Eren's waist and his eyes screwed shut, sweetly crying out, "Oh, oh, oh," over and over again, getting louder and louder each time.

Eren vocalizes his own pleasure with soft grunts, keeping his eyes open in order not to miss a single moment of Levi coming undone.

Finally Levi comes, clinging to Eren's shoulders desperately with one last cry of "Oh!", his loudest one yet.

"Levi," Eren moans, speeding up his thrusts until Levi's whimpering at the overstimulation. When he comes he presses his lips to Levi's in order to muffle his groans.

This whole affair, including pulling out of Levi, cleaning him up, and pulling the covers over both of them for a bout of serious cuddling, takes over an hour.

But all this excitement isn't enough to take Eren's eyes off the prize. After a while he quietly says, "I'm still gonna wear that shirt."

Levi shoves him until he falls off the bed.

 

* * *

 

"And that's when I told the fucking asshat that if he didn't like my cookies, he didn't have to eat them- Levi, are you listening to me?"

They're walking in the park, enjoying a beautiful sunset on a Wednesday evening. Eren has been telling Levi about one of his latest arguments with Jean, but as they reach a particularly lovely stone bridge, Levi seems a bit distracted by a large orange cat, sitting at the entrance of the bridge and meowing quite loudly.

"Hmm?" Levi says, not taking his eyes off the cat.

"Levi…" Eren says, stopping to properly look, "Are you having a stare down with that cat?"

"No," snaps Levi, turning to face Eren. "Let's keep walking."

"Do you, of all people, dislike cats?"

"I don't dislike cats," says Levi, before yelling at the cat, "Will you _shut up_?"  
  
Suddenly, Eren has a revelation. "Do you… Oh my god. can you understand what cats are saying?"  
  
"…Yeah," says Levi reluctantly.

"Oh my god! Levi, that is so cool! Why didn't you mention this before?"

"Because it's not a big deal," Levi says with an eye roll. "Cats aren't exactly good conversationalists."

"Are you kidding? This is awesome!" Eren crouches down and holds a hand out. "Pst! Here, kitty kitty! C'mere, boy!"

"She's a girl," Levi says flatly, as the cat pads her way over to Eren, enthusiastically winding around his legs and rubbing her face against his calves.

"Oh, I'm sorry, love!" Eren coos at the cat. "You _are_ a girl, of course you are!"

The cat meows loudly in reply.

"Ok, alright, enough," says Levi sharply, putting a hand on Eren's bicep. "Forget the cat, let's keep walking."

"No, Levi, you gotta tell me what her name is and what she's saying!" Eren wheedles.

Levi sighs loudly. "You wanna know? Fine. Her name is Lola and she's marking her territory."

Eren looks up in confusion. "What?"

"Flirting, Eren! She's flirting," says Levi.

"But she's a real cat, isn't she?" Eren asks. "Whoa… do cats get crushes on humans?"

"Not usually," says Levi, "She _was_ just asking you for food. But she's a fucking asshole, and when she sensed we were an item, she decided to flirt instead."

Eren grins widely. "Looks like the Jaeger Bomb is not only irresistible to mankind and catmankind, but also real cats as well! You're a lucky man, Levi."

"Don't be a fucking idiot," snaps Levi. "Leave the horny cat alone and let's go, already!"

Eren looks up at him in surprise. "Are you… jealous? Of Lola the cat?"

"Tch," Levi says, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "I just… she's just… I-"

"You're jealous of the cat!" crows Eren.

Eren loves Levi, and knows that Levi loves him back, but sometimes he can't help but wish that Levi were more openly affectionate towards him. He's usually the one to initiate romance or sex, and Levi will grumble and reciprocate and seem into it. But Eren gets a bit insecure sometimes, and he'd like it if Levi were occasionally more straightforward about his feelings.

So although he knows that enjoying Levi's jealousy probably makes him a bad boyfriend, he can't help but enjoy it anyway. And he can't resist twisting the knife just a bit more.

"Who's a beautiful girl, Lola? Who's a pretty kitty?" he asks, craning his neck down to let Lola rub her face against his. Lola lets out another meow mid-rub.

"Ok, that's _enough_ ," snaps Levi, once again grabbing Eren's bicep, yanking him to a standing position, and dragging him towards the park exit. "We're going home."

"Yes, sir," says Eren with a laugh. He would complain about being forced out of the park, but he has a feeling where Levi's going with this, and he's already getting hard.

Sure enough, Levi ends up fucking Eren into their mattress for the first time, using his tail to pin Eren's hands down. He can't keep his mouth off Eren's neck and chest, nipping with his sharp little teeth and licking with his raspy tongue. It's hot as hell, and Eren yells so much that he's hoarse by the end of it.

"Mmm, I should get you jealous more often," Eren says during their traditional post-sex cuddle, squeezing Levi's waist affectionately.

Levi grunts. "Next time it won't be sex, it'll be me clawing your face."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i found [this shirt](http://www.zazzle.com/sleeps_with_cats_tshirts-235197972473069985) very early into writing this fic and i couldn't resist including it. my baaad.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Levi," Eren says solemnly. "I wanna tell Mikasa and Armin about you."

"Levi," Eren says solemnly. "I wanna tell Mikasa and Armin about you."

It's five in the afternoon on a Friday, Eren's classes are over for the day and the two of them are sitting on the couch debating what to do for dinner. But Eren has had this on his mind for the last week, and he can't keep it in anymore.

To his surprise, Levi immediately nods. "Yeah, I agree. This'll be great! I can make out with you in front of Mikasa."

Eren frowns. "First of all, please don't start any more fights with her-"

"She always starts them!"

"SECOND OF ALL, I wasn't referring to our relationship."

"Oh," Levi says. He looks a bit put out, and Eren can tell that he's pouting about Eren's apparent dismissal of their relationship.

"We can tell them about us, of course," he assures Levi, turning to cup Levi's cheeks and kiss his lips lightly. Levi grumbles, but looks pacified. "But," he continues, "I was thinking more on the lines of the whole 'you're a cat' thing."

"Eren, are you nuts?" Levi says, giving him an astounded look.

Eren shrugs. "They're two of the most important people in my life, and I don't keep secrets from them."

"You've been keeping this one for a few months, now," Levi points out.

"Yeah," Eren says, "and I feel terrible about it!"  
  
Levi's shaking his head. "Eren, do you know how many people I've voluntarily shared my secret with since I went out on the streets? Zero. No one. Even _you_ were an accident."

"I understand that, but-"

"You have no idea how they'll react, Eren. Maybe they'll accept it. Maybe they'll call the police. Maybe your psycho sister will kill me. You just don't know!"

"Mikasa won't-" begins Eren.

"How do you know that?" Levi interrupts, standing up to face Eren. "Do you know what I've endured throughout my life because of this? Do you know how many beatings I got from foster fathers, how many children threw things at me and called me a monster? One family even tried to exorcise me!" His voice is loud and panicked, and his breathing is heavy.

"I know you've been through a lot, Levi, but none of that is going to happen to you again!" says Eren, standing up to tower over Levi.

Levi pushes him back onto the couch. "You don't know that," he says. "You don't know shit about this, Eren. All of this, our relationship, what I can do? This is just a fucking novelty act for you, a way to explore a new fetish."

"Levi, that isn't at all true!" Eren protests, but Levi's already turning to leave.

"Don't follow me or I'll punch you in the dick," he snarls. The apartment door slams behind him.

Eren doesn't follow him, but he has a feeling that Levi's gone out in cat form, roaming the streets.

He spends the rest of the day moping and playing video games. For dinner he makes himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and eats it in front of the television, along with a few chocolate-chip cookies leftover from Levi's last baking spree.

 

* * *

 

As Eren's about to get into bed, he hears the cat flap on the door open and sighs with relief. But he doesn't go out to greet Levi. He decides to give him space for a while.

The next day when he gets home from work, Levi is reading on the couch.

"Levi?"

"What."  
  
"Can we talk? About yesterday?"

Levi sighs, puts the book down, and stands up to face Eren. His eyelids look a bit puffy, as if he's been crying. "What?" he says again.  
  
"Hey," Eren says, putting his hands on Levi's shoulders and squeezing them soothingly. "Babe, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize this subject was a trigger for you."

"I didn't mean to freak out," Levi says at last.

"I'm not blaming you in the slightest," Eren assures him. "And I'm not gonna keep bothering you about this. But may I say one more thing before I drop it?"

Levi regards him for a second, then nods.

"After my mom died, and dad got all distant, Mikasa and Armin… well, we were close before, but after that they basically became family. I trust both of them with my life. And they do like you."

"Mikasa-" Levi begins indignantly.

"No, I promise, she likes you, she's just bad at showing it. They'll keep your secret, Levi, I swear."

Levi sighs, long and heavy. "I'll think about it," he says after a pause.

"I'll respect whatever decision you make," Eren says. He holds out his arms, and Levi lets himself be pulled into a hug. "I love you, Levi."

"Mmmm," Levi says, hugging back tightly.

Three days later, Eren receives two texts, one right after the other, during class.

The first one says, _I'm not sure I trust them_. The second one says, _But I trust you_.

Eren invites Armin and Mikasa to come over on Friday.

"What's up?" Armin says as they walk into the apartment. "You said you had something important to tell us?"

"Yeah, I-" Eren begins, but before he can continue, Levi walks in the room in cat form and gives a very loud meow that directs all attention towards him. Then he changes into a human, keeping his cat ears and tail.

"What the _fuck_?" says Mikasa.

"Whoa!" says Armin.

"Levi!" Eren says, "I thought we were gonna ease them into this!"

Levi shrugged. "This seemed quicker," he says, but Eren knows him well by now. He can tell that the real reason is that Levi was so nervous that he decided to get it over with quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.

"Mikasa, wait!" Armin wails, and Eren turns to see Armin trying valiantly to hold Mikasa back as she lunges at Levi with her umbrella.

It takes the combined efforts of both Eren and Armin to restrain Mikasa, and that's probably only because Mikasa loves them too much to risk hurting them.

"Mikasa, please? Hear us out?" Eren begs, "For me?"

Mikasa looks at Eren and sighs. "If I'm even going to bother hearing that freak out, he needs to put some goddamn clothes on," she says.

"Yeah, um… Levi, better do that," Eren says.

Levi rolls his eyes, nods, and walks into the bedroom.

Mikasa grips Eren's shoulders. Hard. "Eren, I'm going to ask you two questions. Now, understand this: I really, really, _really_ want you to say no to both of these questions."

"Ok…" Eren says worriedly.

"My first question is: Is that man… Is Eli your cat?"

"…Yes," Eren admits.

Mikasa sighs again. "Ok. That's fucked up, but I'm sure there's some sort of explanation. I'm going to ask you my second question now, and I'm praying to every god ever conceived that your answer will be no. Eren. Are you fucking your cat?"

Eren feels his ears grow hot. Mikasa was always too perceptive for her own good when it came to him. "Um…" he says, looking to Armin in desperation but Armin seems just as curious as Mikasa, "Um… uh, well… I… I don't fuck him when he's in complete cat form?"

"Eren!" Mikasa shrieks, smacking the side of his head.

"Ow!"

"That's so gross, oh my god!"

"Wait, complete cat form?" Armin says, "So you do it when he's got the ears and tail?"

"Um… yeah... sometimes." Eren admits. His ears are blazing hot now.

Mikasa makes a gagging noise.

"That's disgusting!" Armin says, but the moment Mikasa turns so she can't see him, he gives Eren a thumbs up and mouths ' _That sounds so fucking hot!'_

Honestly, Eren can't decide which reaction disturbs him the most.

Finally, Levi walks out in skinny jeans and a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and they all take a seat in the living room, Eren and Levi on the couch, Mikasa right across from them, Armin in the seat nearest to Eren.

"Ok," Mikasa says, "If I don't get a good explanation in the next five minutes, I'm gonna call the police. And animal control." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my headcanon for armin is that he's a kinky s.o.b. hehehe


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mikasa and Levi don't exactly talk out their issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yargh this is a kinda dumb chapter but levi/mikasa friendship is so important to me

"So," Eren begins nervously, consciously aware of how tense the room is, "I wasn't aware of Levi's… secret when I found him. I really did find him on the street like I told you. In fact, I thought he was a normal cat up until last May, right after I was done with school."

"So you snuck your way into Eren's house and lived off of him for a couple of years?" Mikasa says to Levi.

Levi regards her coldly. "As I'm sure you recall, when Eren found me I was almost dead," he says. "I had no choice in the matter of whether I would go with Eren or not."

Mikasa doesn't fall for the guilt trip. "Then why'd you keep your secret for so long?" she challenges.

"Levi, tell her about the hunters," Eren suggests.

So Levi briefly tells Armin and Mikasa what he told Eren: the story of the supernatural, his pack, and what split them apart.

"Wait!" Armin's eyes are wide with amazement. "Are you telling me that you're an entire _species_?"

"You bet, kid," says Levi. "And there are a lot of other species out there that you've never heard of. Not all of them are as pretty as me, though."

"Awesome," Armin breathes.

He looks as if he's positively overflowing with questions, but before he can begin to ask them, Mikasa interrupts with, "I'm sorry, but I don't trust this. I don't trust you. I don't want to leave Eren alone with you."

Levi's expression tightens again, and he looks like he's debating between ripping Mikasa's throat out and making a run for it. With growing dread, Eren realises that this is exactly what Levi had feared most about revealing his secret. "Mikasa," he says, "Please. Levi may be a monster in name, but he hasn't come anywhere close to hurting me. He's just as human as we are, really."

"What?" says Mikasa, looking at him in confusion. "What do you mean? I know that. I'm quite aware he's practically human."

"Oh, uh... you do!" Eren says, looking at Levi. Levi blinks back at him, looking just as perplexed as he is.   
  
"Of course!" Mikasa says. "I was freaked out about it at first, I admit it. And I'm still a little weirded out about it, but I get it; he turns into a cat, he's a different species. Fine, whatever, that's pretty cool."

"Well then... um what's wrong?" asks Eren.

"'What's wrong', Eren? 'What's wrong' is that you're living with a strange man who walked off the street," Mikasa says angrily. "A strange man who's much older-"

"Not that old," Levi says irately.

"And mean and... and inappropriate," finishes Mikasa. "Eren, I don't approve."

"So... so you're mad because you think I'm not good _boyfriend material_?" Levi asks, dumbfounded.

"Yeah!" Mikasa answers, glaring at him.

"Well..." Levi says, smirking slightly. "I'll try to win your approval then."

"Good luck with that, shortstack," says Mikasa.

Levi's smirk vanishes. "Call me short again, Ackerman, and I swear to god-"

"Ok!" Eren says, "Levi, isn't it just so great that my friends are alright with you being a shapeshifter? Wasn't that what you were worried about?"

"...Yeah," Levi mumbles reluctantly, still glaring at Mikasa.

"Of course we're alright with it, Levi!" Armin says immediately. "It's so cool! Can I just ask you a few more questions?"

"Sure," Levi says, looking up at him in surprise.

"Great!" Armin says. "So my first question: When your cat ears are up, do you hear out of both sets of ears, or just one pair? And..."

 

* * *

 

"I like Armin a lot," Levi tells Eren.

Armin talked with Levi for a while, while Mikasa asked Eren all sorts of insane questions, like what kind of condoms he and Levi are using. Then the four of them went out to dinner, and now Eren and Levi are walking back, Eren's arm around Levi's shoulders.

"I'm glad!" Eren says with a smile. He leans down to kiss Levi's nose.

"Yeah..." Levi says, "But Mikasa is-"

"Give her some time," Eren begs. "She'll come around somehow, I promise."

"Eren, I'm pretty sure we're going to end up trying to kill each other," Levi says drily.

And as it turned out, both of them were right.

 

* * *

 

The next week, Armin and Mikasa come over again, and they all decide to sit on the couch and watch a movie.

Levi is in full cat form, and for some reason he's been extra frisky today. As Armin's setting the movie up, Levi's standing in Eren's lap, kneading his front paws on Eren's chest and nuzzling and licking at Eren's neck.

Eren's trying to have a conversation with them, but his words keep deteriorating into giggles. "Levi, stop! You know that's _sensitive_! And your claws hurt... Stop it, you jerk!" he squeals. But he can't hide a big stupid smile.

Armin's laughing, but Mikasa looks utterly unamused. And nauseated.

"That's disgusting," she spits, "Levi, for god's sake. Save that for when I'm not around, and get your freakish pervert hormones off Eren for five goddamn minutes."

Levi stops mouthing at Eren's neck to glare at her, letting out a hiss. Then he hops off Eren's lap and pads out of the room.

"Mikasa, that was rude!" Eren says.

"Eren, that was embarrassing," replies Mikasa.

Then Levi walks out as a person, wearing only leggings and a light pink t-shirt with a collar so big that it's hanging off one of his shoulders. He steps past Mikasa with his head held high, plants himself in Eren's lap, puts his hands on the back of Eren's head, and proceeds to kiss the hell out of him. Eren can't resist wrapping his arms around Levi's waist and kissing back.

"Alright, that's _enough_ ," snaps Mikasa. Suddenly Levi lets out a yowl. At first Eren has no idea what Levi's freaking out about, but then he's hit with cold pinpricks of water. He jumps so high that Levi, already squirming, falls right off of his lap.

"Mikasa!" Eren blurts. "What the fuck was that?"

"It's a spray bottle full of water," Mikasa answers. Sure enough, she's pointing a spray bottle at the both of him.

"Why do you have a spray bottle full of water," Levi says through gritted teeth, rubbing his ass and grimacing in pain as he stands up.

Mikasa smirks. "I looked up 'how to train your cat' on the internet, and they said that if your cat is being naughty, the best way to discipline is by spraying them with water."

"For the last goddamn time, I am _not_ an animal," Levi says, stepping forward to stand over Mikasa menacingly.

"Oh yeah? Maybe I'll believe that when you stop acting like one!" Mikasa says, standing up to tower over him.

"Do you want to fucking fight me, Ackerman?" Levi says, "'Cause I spent most of my life on the streets, and I can kick your ass without even trying."

"Sure," Mikasa replies, "Bring it on, little guy. Any amount of street smarts can't compensate for sheer size."

"Guys..." Eren says worriedly, trying to step between them. "Guys, can we not do this?"

"Eren," mutters Armin, putting a hand on Eren's shoulder, "Maybe we should just let them fight it out..."

"Are you nuts?" Eren says, "They're going to kill each other. And I'm not saying that as hyperbole. They literally might kill each other."

"And we are powerless to stop them," Armin says, pushing Eren out the door. "Let's just go get frozen yoghurt and leave them to it."

"Yes, Eren. We'll sort this shit out," Levi says, smirking at Mikasa, tensing his muscles as if he's about to spring.

"Go on, Eren," adds Mikasa, her right hand making a tight fist, eying Levi up and down as if debating where to hit him first.

"Um... ok..." Eren says, looking over his shoulder nervously at his friend and boyfriend, not sure which of them he's afraid for.

 

* * *

 

When he and Armin come back to the apartment, toting large half-empty containers of yoghurt, Eren regards his apartment door wearily.

"Armin," he says in a loud whisper.

"What?" Armin says in a perfectly normal voice.

"I'm afraid."

"Open the door, Eren."

"I hear yelling."

"Open the door, Eren."

"Are those gunshots?"

"Open the goddamn door, Eren."

With slightly trembling hands, Eren opens the door.

He walks in to find the living room in shambles, including one broken lamp and two overturned chairs.

Mikasa and Levi are sitting on the couch, looking like they just got hit by a hurricane. Mikasa's skin is marred by some vicious looking scratches, and her hair is an absolute bird's nest. Levi has a black eye and several bruises. Their clothes are stretched and torn.

But they're sitting next to each other, laughing and talking like best friends as they watch an action movie (hence the yelling and gunshots).

"Hey, guys..." Eren says warily.

They look up at him mid-laugh. "Oh! Hey, Eren," Mikasa says.

"So I see you two made up," Armin says, giving Eren an I-told-you-so look.

They shrug. "Yeah..." Levi says, "I was clobbering her-"

"As _if_ ," Mikasa says, punching him in the shoulder.

"Ow, quit it, you psycho," Levi says amiably. "Anyway, we have very different fighting styles, and we started trying to learn each other's moves, and then we got tired and wanted to watch the movie. So we sat down to watch it, and it's a pretty fucking good movie."

"Mmm," agrees Mikasa. "And that's when we starting sharing embarrassing stories about you," she adds with a sly smile.

"You _what_?" Eren says loudly.

"Without me?" Armin whines. "Did you tell the one where we went to the beach for the first time?"

"Of course not, that's your story!" Mikasa says.

"No, it's not, it's _my_ story!" Eren protests, but no one's listening to him.

"Wait, what happened at the beach?" Levi says eagerly.

"Well," Armin begins, "We were five, and really excited to go to the ocean for the first time, but Eren was really afraid of sharks, right? And-"

"Fuck you guys, I'm going on my laptop," Eren says. No one registers his outburst.

He sighs. At least they're getting along.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOUNCEMENT: I'M AT COLLEGE NOW. Which means that I am NOT necessarily going to update as quickly as I have been. Maybe it'll be a day later, once in a while? Idk. I'm sorry, guys, I'll try; but I really hate college so the time I spend not doing work is usually reserved for crying and lying in bed (I really wish that were a joke, but it's not).
> 
> Thanks for all your sweet comments! It really means a lot to me that ya'll are so invested in this story.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "My pack," Levi breathes. "They're alive. Or... at least one of them is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I JUST MADE IT BEFORE FRIDAY ENDED!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!

It's been about a year since Eren met Levi properly, and Levi has had no luck in finding his pack.

For the most part, Levi seems to enjoy himself, keeping busy with his work and his writing, and hanging out with Eren. But there are times when Eren wakes up in the middle of the night to find Levi, as a cat or person, curled into a ball at the corner of the bed and staring out the nearest window with a look of deepest melancholy on his face.

Usually Eren will crawl towards Levi and hug him, murmuring comforting words. Usually Levi shakes him off and tells him to go back to bed.

And usually instead of sleeping, Eren will lie awake pretending not to hear the sounds of Levi's occasional crying, knowing that no matter how happy Levi is with him, he will always be missing his family.

 

* * *

 

It's that glorious time of year again: the end of the school year, the second year of grad school to be exact. All of the gang goes out to a celebratory dinner: Krista, Ymir, Sasha, Connie, Jean, Marco, Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Mikasa, Armin, and Eren. They have a lot of fun, get kind of tipsy, and Jean and Eren only fight twice (and they're small fights).

Now the trio are walking back from dinner. Suddenly, Armin stops in his tracks.

"Armin, what's up?" Eren asks.

Armin points at the nearest telephone pole. "Look at that!" he says.

They all crowd around the pole, which has a LOST CAT sign with a picture of a small black cat.

"Isn't that... Levi?" Mikasa says.

Eren looks closer, and sure enough, the cat has the same blue-grey unamused eyes as his boyfriend. "What the fuck?" he says.

"Who would be looking for him?" Armin asks him.

Eren shrugs. "Beats me. We should show Levi this."

So the next day they drag Levi out to see the LOST CAT sign. He's highly skeptical, but the moment he sees the picture his eyes widen in surprise.

"Holy _shit_ ," Levi says, touching the picture. "It's me."

Eren frowns. "Who are these people and why are they looking for you?" he asks.

Levi shrugs. "Beats me," he says. "The only people who would be looking for me are..." Levi trails off, and his eyes widen.

"What is it?" says Eren, putting a hand on Levi's shoulder.

"My pack," Levi breathes. "They're alive. Or... at least one of them is."

"Are you sure?" Mikasa asks.   
  
"Who else could it be?" Levi says. "Let me read the description. 'Lost: Small grumpy black cat, answers to Levi. Do not pull his tail, he'll try and kill you, then act like a total dick for ten hours-'" He cuts himself off and smiles, one of the largest smiles Eren's ever seen on his face. "Yeah, Hanji definitely wrote this."

"Well, you should still be careful about this..." Armin says.

"I know, kid, I'm not an idiot. How about this? Eren will call, say he found me, I'll listen to the phone call and then I'll know if it's them. And just in case, I'll remain a cat until I see them in person," Levi says.

Eren can't find a fault with Levi's plan, but a small selfish part of him desperately wants to. Levi doesn't talk about it much, but Eren can tell he loved his pack and misses it dearly.   
  
Eren would understand perfectly if Levi would want to leave him for old friends, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't break his heart.

 

* * *

 

Eren swallows, picks up the phone, and dials the number on the sign. Putting it on speaker, he and Levi listen to it ring for a moment. Then, someone picks up.

"Hello?" a man says. He sounds as if he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Levi gasps, and Eren looks up to see him mouthing _Moblit_.

"Um... hi," Eren says. "I'm calling about that lost cat poster?"

"Oh, then you'll be wanting to talk to Hanji," the man says. Before Eren can reply, he hears a few thumps and whispers, and then a small shriek that's incredibly concerning.

The next person who gets on the phone is so loud that the phone's speaker cuts out for a second. "HELLO?"

Levi looks like he's trying to decide whether to be overjoyed, close to tears, or irritated. He nods at Eren, who then says, "Yeah, hi?"

"HI! I'm Hanji! Moblit was telling me you were calling about our dear lost kitty?"

"Yeah! I was calling to tell you I found him. Um... on the street," Eren says, glad he doesn't have to lie.

"Oh, poor Levi!" Hanji coos. "He absolutely hates to be dirty."

Eren snorts. "Yeah, I've noticed," he says, grinning at Levi, who glares back at him. "Anyway, I have him here in my apartment, if you want to come over and get him?"

"Ooh, yes, definitely! I mean, we'll of course have to check that it's really him. There are a lot of black cats out there..."

"Right! Haha, yeah, I guess I have no way of knowing if it's really him!" Eren says quickly.

"Well, we'll all be keeping our fingers crossed here!" Hanji says cheerily.

Eren tells Hanji his address, and they agree to come by at 12 the next day.

"Hope you don't mind if I come with two of my friends?" Hanji asks.

Eren looks at Levi, who nods his assent. "Of course not," Eren says.

"Great! See you tomorrow, cutie!" And before Eren can respond, Hanji hangs up.

"Wow," he says to Levi. "You once told me they were weird, but... wow, Hanji is weird."

Levi nods. "I can't believe I actually miss that shitty-glasses and their dumb dog-breath." He pauses for a second, then mumbles, "And I can't believe they're alive..." After another pause, he climbs into Eren's lap without warning, his arms over Eren's shoulders and his tail around Eren's waist.

Eren hugs him back tightly. "I'm so happy for you, Levi," he says, and he means it, even though there's an ache in his chest.

 

* * *

 

Levi gets up even earlier than usual the next day, even if there's no school or work to go to. Eren sighs when he hears the shower run for at least thirty minutes, then the sounds of a vacuum, mop, and spray bottle for the next hour or so.

Levi tends to clean and bathe more when he's nervous.

Levi makes breakfast, but it's not as complicated as his normal Saturday breakfasts are. It's just toast and eggs, and Eren's toast is a bit burnt, but of course he says nothing about it.

Finally, it's close to showtime. Eren sits down on the couch to watch tv, but he's not really paying attention. Levi turns into a cat and curls up on Eren's lap, but his body is stiff and his ears flick at every small noise.

At five minutes after noon, there's a loud banging on the door. Levi jumps a foot in the air, his fur prickling up. Then he jumps off Eren's lap, allowing Eren to get up and walk to the door.

The first person he sees absolutely has to be Hanji. Levi didn't tell him that Hanji had messy brown hair, dented glasses, a beautiful androgynous face, and brown eyes with a spark of insanity in them, but they can't be anyone else.

"Hey!" they shout cheerily. "I'm guessing you must be Eren!"

Eren nods. "Yeah, I'm-"

"Thank you so much for helping us find our little grumpy guy!" Hanji says.

"Yes," the tall blonde man to Hanji's right adds as he steps forward, "We really appreciate it. I'm Erwin, by the way." He hold out a hand to Eren, who takes it while trying not to gape in awe.

Levi never mentioned that his pack leader and close friend was Captain freaking America.

"Oh, ha, yeah! It's no problem," Eren says, grinning like an idiot. Erwin's hand is huge.

"Well, I know how difficult Levi can be," Erwin says.

The taller blonde man to Hanji's left sniffs in amusement. "That's for sure," he says.

"That's Mike," Hanji explains. "He missed Levi too, even if he doesn't look it."

"Of course," Erwin says. "Anyway, Eren, may we see the cat?"

"So damn formal," Levi says. He apparently crept up behind Eren while they were speaking. "You haven't changed at all, Shitwin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yep! introducing Levi's Pack!!!!!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is how it starts. Soon Levi will be leaving him for good.

There isn't a trace of a smile on Levi's face, but the three visitors grin like it's Christmas morning.

"LLLEEEEEEVVVVIIIIII!!!" screams Hanji, rushing forward and checking Eren in the shoulder in the process as they pull Levi into a crushing hug.

"Get... off... me..." Levi says, his voice muffled by Hanji's chest.

After a short struggle, Levi finally manages to get Hanji off of him, only to be pulled into another hug by Erwin.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Levi," Erwin says.

"Tch," Levi says. "Of course I'm fuckin' safe. I can get by on my own."

Meanwhile, Mike has stepped forward and- bizarrely- is sniffing Levi's neck.

"You haven't changed at all," Levi says scornfully to Mike as Erwin releases him.

Mike frowns. "You have, though. You smell like... him," he says, pointing to Eren.

"His other form is a mix of an Otterhound and a Wolfhound," Hanji explains to Eren. Then they perk up, realizing what Mike just said. "Wait... why does Levi smell so much like you?"

Suddenly Eren is the center of attention.

"Levi," Erwin says, glaring at Eren, "He knows about your ability?"

"Yeah, I do," Eren says, "Cause he told me."

"He knows about all of us?" says Erwin, somewhat alarmed.

Levi sighs. "Yeah, I've been living with him for a while. About a month after we scattered, I was starving to death on the streets. Eren found me and took me home as a cat, and nursed me back to health. For a couple years he thought I was just a pet."

"Then I caught him as a human, naked and watching Downton Abbey on my couch," Eren says.

Hanji snickers. Levi glares at them, then continues. " _Anyway_ , I managed to convince him to let me stay here. That's where I've been."

Mike frowns. "That still doesn't explain why you smell so strongly of him." He sniffs again, then his eyebrows raise, and he smirks. "Oh."

"What is it, Mike?" asks Erwin.

"Levi, why don't _you_ tell him what's up," suggests Mike.

Eren doesn't know exactly what Mike's smelled, but he has a strong feeling, and he can already feel his ears growing hot.

Levi sighs again, and Eren can see his cheeks get red. "Eren and I... Um, Eren's my... we're dating," Levi says, his cat ears flattening against his head, the tip of his tail flicking back and forth.

There's a short silence, pierced by Hanji's shrieking. "Levi has a boyfriend! Our little Levi!" they say, pinching Levi's cheeks until Levi slaps their hands. Then they move to Eren, who only flinches slightly as he's pulled into a bone-crushing hug. "You! Levi has very good taste, because you are as cute as a goddamn button!" They pull back from the hug with a satisfied smile, and Eren jumps. It seems they've grown ears and a tail that match their hair color, and the tail is currently smacking against Eren's thigh. "You know, I thought Levi seemed more relaxed. I should've known something other than a stick got rammed up his-"

"HANJI I SWEAR TO FUCK!" Levi shouts, his face now flaming red.

"Sorry, sorry!" Hanji says quickly, ducking out of Levi's punch range. "I'm just so _excited_."

"She turns into an Irish Setter," Mike mutters to Eren.

“You can't blame her for being excited, Levi," Erwin says with a smile. "We were all hoping you'd eventually find a steady relationship."

"Oh, fuck you," Levi moans. "Why don't you tell me where the fuck you've been for all this time?"

So Mike, Erwin, and mostly Hanji proceed to tell Levi and Eren what exactly they've been doing.

"So when we first scattered, we all went our separate ways," Erwin begins.

"Yep! Erwin went and laid low in a forest, Mike found a homeless shelter, and I slipped into a kennel," Hanji continues. "And let me tell you, by the end of it I was sick half to death of kibble."

"How did you find each other?" Eren asks.

"After a certain amount of time had past, I deemed it was safe to leave the forest, and I went to look for everyone else," says Erwin. "Checking places like kennels and homeless shelters was the first thing I thought of, and it was easy to do. That's why I found everyone else before you, Levi."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," says Levi. He pauses for a second, his tail swinging out to brush against Eren's side. By now Eren knows that's one of Levi's subtle ways of showing that he's nervous or worried. "What about the others?" he asks.

"Nanaba's alright," Mike says. "We stayed together at the homeless shelter. Which is lucky, because she'd probably attract a little too much attention in dog form, considering she's a purebred Greyhound."

"Since Moblit can turn into a sparrow, he could just follow the other birds," says Hanji. Then they grin, adding, "He found me before Erwin did."

"Not surprising," Levi says with a roll of his eyes. "And thank god for that. I'm surprised you survived for so long without supervision. What about the others? Petra, Auruo, Erd, Gunther, Ilse?"

"We found Ilse," Erwin says. "Well, she found us. She recognized us when we walked past the alley she was living in. Oh, Eren, sorry," he says, noticing Eren's confusion. "Ilse can turn into a mouse." Then he grows solemn. "We haven't found any of the others."  
  
Levi's hand finds Eren's and grips it tightly.

"But we haven't lost hope!" Hanji says firmly. "They're smart, resourceful people. Well... Petra is. And she can turn into a parakeet! They're adorable birds, people love them."

Levi nods, but he still looks solemn.

"Levi," Erwin says, "Would you like to come see where we're living now?"

"It's great!" says Hanji. "We took out a few rooms of a cheap hotel. The bill isn't bad considering we all have jobs, and it's quite homey."

Levi turns to Eren, opening his mouth, but Eren cuts him off. "Go be with your pack."

"But what about dinner?" Levi says.

"I'll figure out something," Eren says.

"You can't cook for shit," Levi says doubtfully.

"Excuse you," Eren says, "I can make scrambled eggs. And if not, I'll order in."

Levi frowns, not looking convinced. "But that's so expen-"

"Babe,” Eren interrupts, "You just found your pack. Go spend some time with them. I can deal with one night without you."

Levi sighs. "Alright. I'll let you know what's going on."

"Thanks," Eren says. "Bye." He cups Levi's cheeks and leans down.

"Bye," Levi replies, standing on tiptoes to share a quick kiss with him.

"This is so precious," Hanji says gleefully. "I wanna take a picture!"

"Shut _up_ , dog breath," Levi snaps, but Hanji's already turned to Eren.

"He was on the street when we picked him up, as you know," they tell him. "And even after so much time with us, he was always rough around the edges. An ornery lil tomcat. But he's being so so sweet around you, Eren... I think you've _domesticated_ him!"

"Oh my god, Hanji," Levi says quickly. "I'm going to smother you in your sleep." He's giving them a look of death, but his cheeks are a bit red, which kind of ruins the effect of his rage.

Eren feels a bit embarrassed, too. But another large part of him is quite pleased. And a little turned on.

"Alright," Erwin says quickly, "Let's leave before any blood gets on Eren's floor. Eren, it was very nice meeting you."

"Likewise," Eren says, smiling as he watches the odd group of four leave.

But as soon as he shuts the door, the smile slides off his face. This is how it starts. Soon Levi will be leaving him for good.

He debates calling a friend over or going out, but in the end he just sits on the couch and watches bad tv, eating a sandwich for dinner. Levi texts him at 10PM, saying, _I'm staying over with them._

 _Ok_ , Eren replies, _Miss you, babe. Have fun xoxo_.

He presses send, then throws his phone on the couch, trying his best to avoid any thoughts of Levi for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter's probably gonna be a little late, but i'll do my best!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren thinks Levi's going to break up with him. He couldn't be more wrong.

The next morning Eren wakes up to the sound of his cell vibrating. Blinking into reality, he’s horrified to find himself spooning a pillow. Furiously he throws the pillow across the room and sits up in bed for a while, staring at it morosely.

Finally he gets up and checks his phone. _Will be back at about 5_ , Levi sends him. Before Eren can respond, Levi sends another: _And we need to talk. About some things._

 

* * *

 

“He’s breaking up with me, Armin!” Eren moans.

A long-suffering sigh crackles through his phone’s speaker. “Eren,” Armin says, “For god’s sake. You don’t know _anything_ yet.”

“Yes I do!” says Eren. “He went off with his super-cool pack of hot friends, he’s having the time of his life, he’s wondering why he wasted time with a loser like me, and he’s debating the best way to break up with me!”

“You are blowing things _waaayyyy_ out of proportion,” Armin insists. “All he said was that you guys need to talk! That could mean anything.”

“That’s the break-up line, Armin!”

“You need to take your mind off of this for a little while,” Armin says. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“…Uh…” Eren says, looking at the clock. It’s two pm. “…No.”

“…Please tell me you’ve eaten breakfast.”

“…Uh.”

“Oh my _god_ ,” says Armin wearily. “Levi better not be breaking up with you, because without him you’re a helpless infant.”

“But I-“

“You need to eat, take a shower, put some clean clothes on, and get your mind off of this,” Armin says. “Don’t argue with me, young man.”

“Yes, mom,” Eren says, rolling his eyes.

“And _don't worry_ ,” Armin says, “Levi loves you. He’s not breaking up with you. Don’t assume shit ’till it actually happens.”

So Eren does as Armin says. He pops a frozen waffle in the toaster, takes a shower, changes his clothes, and distracts himself with a book.

At five thirty, the apartment door opens, and Levi walks in. He looks great, maybe happier than he’s even been with Eren, although that could be Eren’s imagination.

“Hey,” Eren says, dropping his book and walking up to Levi, leaning down to kiss his cheek before quickly standing up straight.

Levi’s eyes raise slightly as he stays on his tiptoes for a second longer, probably confused by the rigidity of the greeting and hoping for a full-fledged kiss. “Hey,” he replies, “How was your night?”

“Fine,” Eren says. “Kind of boring. Didn’t do much.”

“Oh, um… did you end up ordering in?”

“Nah. Made a sandwich.”

“Oh.”

There’s a brief silence, which Eren breaks with a reluctant, “So how was it, being with your pack?”

Levi’s smile returns. “It was great,” he says genuinely. “Really really nice. I got to see Nanaba and Moblit and Ilse, we all went out for dinner, talked about old times, went back the the hotel, got drunk, and watched bad scary movies. I think I ended up passing out at around three? Sometime around then. Jesus, I’m exhausted.”

“I’m glad you had fun,” Eren says, trying not to let any bitterness in his voice.

“Yeah…” Levi says. He looks around for a moment, scratches his chin with the back of his hand. The tension in the air could cut a knife. “Want me to make dinner? Cause I can-“

“Levi,” Eren interrupts, “I understand that you wanna leave and go back to your pack. That’s ok. We have cell phones, we have internet. We can keep in touch. If you wanna break up, that’s ok too, I just-“

“What the fuck?” Levi says.

“What?” says Eren wearily. He really wishes Levi would be honest with him. “I’m just telling you that-“

“You fucking piece of shit idiot,” Levi says, as his tail starts to whip around. “Did you think I was breaking up with you?”

“Well… yeah,” Eren says. Suddenly, Armin’s words are making a lot more sense, and he feels a little stupid. “Because you said we needed to talk? And-“

Levi pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Eren, this isn’t a movie! ‘We need to talk’ can mean a lot of things besides breaking up, idiot.”

“Well excuse me for getting the wrong idea!” Eren says defensively, “But you looked so happy with your pack, and you love them so much, and I just don’t want to, like, force you to stay with me if you want to be with them-“

“Eren, for fuck’s sake!” shouts Levi. “I do enjoy being with them, but I love you!”

There’s a short silence, in which Eren waits for Levi to realise what he just said. Then Levi claps a hand over his own mouth, eyes wide in surprise.

Although Eren has said it a few times before, Levi has never actually said ‘I love you’ before.

“Um…” Levi says after a pause. “Um… yeah, so. That’s… the current situation, I guess, and-”

He’s unable to get another word out before Eren pulls him into a hug. “Levi,” Eren says, “I love you, I love you, I love you so much!”

“You’re crushing my ribs,” Levi says breathlessly, squeezing Eren’s shoulders.

“Sorry,” Eren mumbles, relinquishing his grip. “I just… I didn’t know, and-“

“You didn’t know I loved you?” says Levi, expression unreadable.

“Well, I knew you _liked_ me, of course,” Eren says. “But, like, I wasn’t sure if it was anything deeper than that, and I was totally fine with that! And you don’t have to say it if you don’t mean it. I just… either way I love you so much and I don’t think anything can change that, and-“

“Shut the fuck up,” Levi growls, gripping Eren’s head and pulling him in for a deep kiss.

Eren responds enthusiastically, and they make out for a while. Eren periodically moves from Levi’s lips to press kisses into his neck, jaw, cheeks, forehead, and Levi clings to Eren’s shoulders tightly, kissing so furiously that it’s almost as if he’s trying to tell Eren how much he loves him without saying the words out loud.

All of a sudden, Eren finds himself pressing Levi against the nearest wall, catching Levi as he jumps and wraps his legs around Eren’s waist. Eren wastes no time in positioning them so that his dick is snug against Levi’s ass, and begins to rut against Levi desperately.

Levi lets out a low appreciative moan, and nips at Eren’s neck, his tail wrapping around Eren’s thigh.

Suddenly, he pushes on Eren’s chest. Eren immediately backs away, the loss of friction almost excruciating. “What’s wrong,” he says, mildly surprised at how hoarse he is.

Without saying a word, Levi keeps pushing him. He pushes him out of the living room, down the hall, into the bedroom, and onto the bed. He strips off Eren’s shirt, then begins stripping his own clothes. Through all of this, Eren is stunned out of action, watching Levi with a mixture of curiosity and arousal to the point of pain.   
  
“Levi,” he says, reaching out to touch.

“No,” replies Levi, smacking Eren’s hand away. Now he finds the lube, and leaps to straddle Eren without actually putting any weight on him, naked thighs shaking slightly. He opens the lube, coats the fingers of his left hand, closes the lube and throws it aside. Then he wraps his right arm over Eren’s shoulders, leans forward, buries his face in the crook of Eren’s neck, and starts to finger himself. Almost immediately, he starts making noise, little desperate moans that get muffled into Eren’s skin. The vibrations they make itch Eren’s skin.

“Levi,” Eren repeats, this time with a raspier throat. “Look at me, please look at me.”

Levi obliges him with a whine, lifting his head to press his forehead against Eren’s. His eyes shift from side to side, unable to hold Eren’s gaze, but they’re clouded with lust.

Before Eren can explode from sheer lust, Levi quickly reaches down to unzip his fly. He quickly lifts his hips up so Levi can pull his pants and boxers down, and he kicks his legs until he’s rid of his clothes completely. It’s awkward, but when it’s over he’s rewarded by his dick being stroked and coated with lube.

“Levi,” he says urgently, “Condom.”

“You’re clean, I’m clean,” Levi says breathlessly. The two of them had gotten tested a few weeks back, just in case. “I want this.”

“But… it’ll be messy,” says Eren, hands fisted in the sheets as he desperately holds back the urge to pull Levi’s ass onto his cock.

“I want messy,” says Levi, gently aiming the tip of Eren’s cock against his hole. “You ready, or not?”

Eren takes a deep breath and nods. Then he gasps as Levi sinks down, slowly but surely, until they’re perfectly connected.

Levi lets out a soft groan, hugging Eren tightly as he gets used to the feeling. Eren grabs his hips, gently stroking them in encouragement. After a few moments, he grips Eren’s shoulders tightly and begins to ride him.

“Levi-“ Eren groans, but he’s interrupted when Levi begins to speak.

“Eren,” Levi says, through heavy breaths as he rises and falls, rises and falls. “I love you.”

“I-“

“I love you,” Levi says again, a little louder this time. “I love you. I love you. I love you. I- fuck, god- I love you. I love you!” Now he’s practically shouting, punctuating each declaration of love with a little yelp, speeding up his pace. He’s becoming slick with sweat from the effort of riding Eren’s dick, and Eren takes the opportunity to lick at the sweat beads forming on Levi’s collarbones. “I love you! I love you! I love you! I- _AHH_!”

Levi comes with a scream, his head violently tilting back as he holds onto Eren for dear life.

Meanwhile, Eren ruts into him like crazy, cursing a blue streak until he reaches his own climax and lets out a long, low groan. Then he falls back on the bed, taking Levi with him. They lie there, panting like dogs. Eren wraps his arms tightly around Levi’s waist. Levi nuzzles into Eren’s neck and pushes his tail into Eren’s hand to stroke. Eren feels his own come drip out of Levi, but neither of them feel the need to clean it up at the moment.   
  
After a while, Levi lifts his head up shakily. “That’s all the I love you’s you’re gonna get for the next ten or so years, brat, so remember them well,” he says hoarsely.

“Wait, what? That’s not how it works!” protests Eren, but all he does is run his fingers through Levi’s hair, too wiped to do anything else.

“’S how it works for me,” Levi mutters, lying back down on Eren’s chest. “I really mean it, y’know,” he adds.

“I know,” Eren says, grinning at the ceiling. “And I mean it, too.”

And then there’s silence for a while. Just as Eren feels himself nodding off, he remembers: “Weren’t we supposed to be talking about something having to do with your pack?” But all Levi responds with is a long sigh, and it becomes apparent to Eren that he has fallen asleep.

 _We can talk about it later_ , he figures.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah.... i was actually gonna have more plot this chapter, but eren and levi had other plans......


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am SO SO SO SO SORRY i completely fell off the map.... i had a few rough days and a few busy days.
> 
> but FINALLY FINALLY i am done. and i'm pretty satisfied with the ending, too!

In the morning, Levi makes coffee, and the two of them sit down to actually talk.

“So,” Levi begins, “We were all talking. About what to do now that we’re all back together. We’re older now, and kinda over the whole ‘roaming on the streets’ thing. Plus, we all want to spend more time with the people we-“

“The people you _loooove_?” says Eren with a wide grin on his face.

“Tch,” says Levi, a bit of pink appearing on his cheeks. “Whatever.”

Eren lets out a pleased hum and leans towards Levi to give him a big sloppy kiss on the cheek.

“Anyway,” Levi says, “We’ve decided to all split up and live separately.

Eren looks at him, shocked. “Split up? But you just found each other again!”

“Yeah, but… we just don’t need that nonstop company like we used to,” explains Levi. “We’ve grown up a bit, I guess.”

“But you’re still gonna hang out, right?”

“Oh, of course, are you kidding me?” Levi says. “We’re gonna hang out all the time. They’re all gonna find places in the neighborhood. We’re gonna keep looking for Petra and the others, though.”

“So… you’re staying?” Eren asks, feeling the beginning of the world’s biggest grin on his face.  
  
“Only if it’s ok with you,” Levi answers, taking a sip of his coffee and avoiding Eren’s eyes.

“Leviiiii!” Eren cries, lunging forward to hug so aggressively that he picks Levi up out of his chair. “It’s ok with me. It’s _more_ then ok with me. I want you to stay for as long as you’re comfortable.”

“Ok then,” Levi says, smiling slightly. “I’ll stay.”

“Yesssss!” Eren shouts, swinging Levi around. “YESSSSS!”

“PUT ME THE FUCK DOWN!”

 

* * *

 

And so, a routine develops.

Eren goes to school during the week, and when he comes back there’s usually someone in his apartment besides Levi, whether it be one of Levi’s pack or one of his own friends.

After a couple weeks, Eren and Levi stage a dinner to introduce Mikasa and Armin to the pack, held at Erwin’s house (His house is the largest amongst the pack).

It goes fairly well, except for the part where Hanji sees a bird fly by and knocks Armin over in their frantic dash to the window. But Hanji and Armin do end up getting along quite nicely, Hanji being much more willing to discuss the nature of shapeshifters than Levi. And Mikasa gets along quite well with Nanaba; the two of them speak quietly in the corner for a long time.

A couple weeks before his next year of school starts, Eren is walking by a petshop when he sees a pair of animals in the window that catches his eye.

In the same little enclosure are a cat and a dog, and oddly enough they seem to be getting along. Every once in a while, the bird will squawk at the dog, but other than that they seem content.  
  
The bird is a cute little thing, with an interesting strawberry-blonde colour to its feathers. The dog is a sandy coloured chihuahua, and it looks snootier than any chihuahua Eren has ever seen.

Eren walks into the shop, goes up to the bird and the chihuahua. He looks at them intently. The bird flutters right up to the ledge nearest to him, chirping loudly. He reaches out to gently pet her head, but the chihuahua growls and steps forward menacingly.

Quickly Eren takes out his cell and dials Levi’s number.

Levi picks up after the second ring. “Hey,” he says.

“Levi!” Eren says, “I think I found them.”

“Found…?”

“Your friends,” Eren says, “Petra and… what’s his face? Otto?”

“Auruo,” Levi says quickly. “Where are you?”

“That pet shop near the deli we like.”

“On my way.”

The moment Levi walks into the petshop, Eren can tell that it’s actually them. Levi’s got his usual blank expression, but his eyes are wide and watery.  
  
Quickly he turns to the shopkeeper. “Sorry, just had to wait until my boyfriend got here,” he explains. “We’d like to buy those two in the window. The bird and the dog?”

“Oh, man, I’m sorry,” the shopkeeper apologizes, and Eren feels Levi tense up next to him. “You can’t buy those two without buying two others. A cat and a guinea pig? It’s the oddest thing; the four of them came in here together and they absolutely _have_ to be kept in the same pen at night or they collectively lose their shit.”

Levi squeezes Eren’s arm tightly. “That’s fine,” he says hoarsely. He turns and mutters “Gunther and Erd” in Eren’s ear.

The animals are practically beside themselves when they see Levi. It takes the shopkeeper ten minutes to get them all in their respective travel containers, and that’s _with_ Levi doing his best to calm them down.

Finally, they get back to the apartment, set the containers on the floor and open them. Levi finds clothes and lays them out, and he and Eren respectively turn their backs, waiting for them to change.

Then there’s a cry of “Levi!” and Eren turns to see four people barreling at Levi and engulfing him in a group hug.

And with that, the gang’s all back together. There’s more reunion sessions, a lot of catching up. Eren finds he quite enjoys the final four members of the pack— well, maybe not Auruo so much, but Petra is probably one of his favorite people.

Time passes on. Eren graduates from school and gets a clinical internship like he always wanted. But after a while, he realizes it’s not exactly his scene. He wants to help people who feel as if

So he becomes an animal therapist; that is, he brings therapy animals to hospitals. He makes old people and little kids happy when they see his almost unbelievably well-trained pets (Petra, Mike, Nanaba, Hanji, and Erd all volunteer their time), and it makes him happy, too.

Sure, there are still rough times. Sometimes Eren and Levi fight. Sometimes a member of the pack gets in trouble in animal form (Auruo gets taken home by a little girl and her mother, Ilse nearly gets eaten by a normal cat). Once or twice, hunters pass through the town and Levi gets so nervous that he barely speaks or eats. But there’s never anything to worry about; both Auruo and Ilse were recovered unharmed, and since Levi and his pack don’t harm anyone they never get on the hunters’ radar.

As a whole, life is pretty damn great.

 

* * *

 

 

A little over a year after Levi tells Eren that he’s willing to stay for a long while, Eren buys a ring. It’s a bit of an impulse buy, since he and Levi haven’t really talked about marriage yet, but he’s got high hopes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed my trashbag kink fic!!!! thank you SO much for sticking around <3

**Author's Note:**

> You can find my tumblr [here](http://erenjaegrrr.tumblr.com/)! 
> 
> I'll also be tracking this fic as 'fic: what's new pussycat' or 'fic: wnp'.
> 
> Thanks again!


End file.
